Where Angels Fear to Tread
by StoneTimeKeeper
Summary: "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." -Alexander Pope. It has been many years since the Great War nearly destroyed the kingdoms. Vale was weak then. No leader, no power, just a vacuum. The council filled that vacuum. But they're just figureheads. The real power rests where angels fear to tread. And Angels fear to tread where the black flame burns.
1. CH1: Pyre

**ERROR-FILE_DAMAGED-EXTENSIVE_DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY…/…**

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 1: The Pyre**

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"Are you sure this is where he said to meet him? 'Cause, there's no one here." Mercury complained.

"These are the exact coordinates that he gave me." Cinder replied, exasperated.

"And who are we meeting again?" Mercury asked.

"If you ever paid attention during the briefings, you'd know that we were meeting with the leader of The Sanguine Pyre." Emerald answered.

"I don't know who that is." Mercury replied.

"Not many people do." Cinder said. "The only people who know him are the people who've met him personally. A list that is rather lacking, might I add."

"It's not just lacking, any who wish to meet him quickly come to realize that even if he is revealed, it would only help the Pyre." A monotone voice said.

Looking toward the source of the voice, Cinder, Mercury and Emerald readied into a combat stance. The much older gentleman who stepped into the clearing showed no sign of noticing. The men and women who followed him did; they aimed their weapons at the trio. Cinder saw that each of the men and women wore no set uniform. The only distinguishing mark that showed they were part of the Sanguine Pyre was the rings. A black band designed to look like flames with a single blood diamond set in the metal. The design made the blood diamond look like a drop of blood wreathed in black fire.

The leader of the group didn't wear his ring on a finger like the rest did. His ring was worn as a pin on the lapel of his suit. A very fine suit it was too. Black slacks, with a black blazer, a crimson undershirt and a golden yellow tie. The man carried a long white cane. Looking at his eyes revealed a startling milky white with his hair being much the same. That explained why he didn't pay mind to the hostility demonstrated by Cinder, Emerald and Mercury.

"And who exactly are you?" Cinder asked.

"I am Jeremiah Briarheart, envoy of The Sanguine Pyre." Jeremiah introduced himself.

"Are you the leader of the Sanguine Pyre?" Mercury asked.

"No." came the curt reply.

"I was told we were meeting with the leader of the organization. So, why are you here?" Cinder responded, still on guard.

"You will, my older brother decided that it would be more beneficial if you and he met in a more… secure location." Jeremiah said.

"Look, Jerry, I don't think you realize who you're dealing with here." Mercury began. "We-"

"Don't care. We know who you are. You wished to meet with us, we decide the location. This is just a rendezvous." Jeremiah said. "And for the record. You will refer to me as Jeremiah, or Briarheart. Drug them."

The trio didn't have time to react as a needle was stuck into each of their necks. A sack was placed over each person's head, and the members of the Sanguine Pyre walked off, back into the moonlit forest.

-One hour later-

"You can take those sacks of gents, there's no need for the secrecy anymore." A calm, suave voice said.

The sacks were removed from the heads of the trio and they were greeted by the grinning of a young man. He wore a pair of black slacks, black dress shoes, a red polo and a black jacket with too many pockets. Hanging off a key ring, connected to the zipper of his left breast pocket on the jacket was the man's own Sanguine Pyre ring, and another gold ring with a small sapphire gem in the middle of it. On his right hand was a simple gold band. Both hands were adorned in what looked like burn marks. The most striking parts about him though were his deep crimson eyes, his short black hair and the stark white bone that was pierced through his right ear.

The room they were in was very richly decorated. A red carpet covered the floor. The man in front of them sat behind a rich mahogany desk with several books on one end, a very ornate chalice, a computer and a very large caliber bullet stood on the other end. Behind the desk was a large window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling fifteen feet above. Red drapes covered the window. The walls around the room were painted a similar red to the floor, with a border of painted fire spreading around the room. Halfway up the wall and going around the room were seven torch sconces. Three along each side wall with one right over the door. Four suits of armor lined both side walls. Looking up, they saw that the ceiling was painted with the symbol of the Sanguine Pyre, a blood diamond burning in the black fire. In the corners of the ceiling were figures painted to look like angels. On each was expression of fear.

"Cinder Fall, I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but then I'd be lying." The man said with a smirk.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Cinder asked, still slightly groggy.

"Me and my poor manners. I am the elder brother, Agreus Blackflame." The man introduced himself.

"Whose brother are you?" Mercury asked.

"Jeremiah's. Did Briarheart not tell you about me? He usually does." Agreus answered bewildered.

"That's an impressive illusion then." Emerald said.

"Illusion? What illusion?" Blackflame asked slightly confused.

"That young age look you have, or the old age look your 'younger brother' has." Emerald answered.

"Oh." Agreus said in realization. "I hate to burst your bubble, Emerald, but it is no illusion. My brother is 183 years old and completely blind."

"That's not possible. How old are you?" Cinder asked.

"Well, that's a bit of a rude question, but I'm 196 years old. As for possibility, well, that's the fountain of youth for you." Agreus answered.

"Fountain of Youth?" Cinder asked, intrigued.

"Yes, Jeremiah's semblance. We call it the fountain of youth. With it, he can reverse the aging of anyone or anything at the cost of his own years… well he used to be able to do it anyway. I was 83 and on my death bed when he first tried to use it on me. He doesn't use it now for fear of leaving this world behind. Otherwise, he's stuck in the body of a 94-year-old man." The suave man expounded. "But that's neither here nor there. Now tell me, what business do you have with the Sanguine Pyre."

"We came to acquire the services of your mercenaries." Cinder responded.

Agreus raised an eyebrow. "Doing… what, exactly? If my men were to be hired out, I would like to know what it is they would be hired for."

"A few things. Small jobs here, little things there." Cinder responded.

"That tells me nothing. If you want the help of the Sanguine Pyre, then the Sanguine Pyre needs to know exactly what the end goal is and if you have any stipulations we must follow to get there." Agreus snapped. "My patience is short, and my time is limited, if you don't wish to explain why you need us, then don't. Just get out."

"Fine." Cinder scowled. "We need the help of your men to acquire a significant quantity of dust, organize the removal of a powerful man and set up a meeting with a woman of significant power."

Agreus sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When I said details, Cinder, I meant _exacts._ Jeremiah, drug her."

"What?!" Cinder exclaimed.

The older gentleman forced Cinder to tilt her head and stuck a small hypodermic needle into her neck. Mercury and Emerald were unable to react before the plunger was pressed and a clear liquid was injected into her veins.

"What was that?" Cinder asked, a bit shaken from the rough handling.

"A truth serum I had our resident chemist cook up. It forces you to answer any questions I ask, honestly. Now you will answer my questions. Who is the man you wish to depose?" Agreus asked with a sinister smile.

"Ozpin." Cinder answered.

Agreus just smiled wider. "And the dust?"

Cinder seemed to be struggling against herself. "It's for use against Vale."

"Ah, and who is the woman you wish to meet?" Agreus asked, his smile now predatory.

"The fall maiden." Cinder ground out.

Agreus' smile dropped. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the trio grew nervous. He still had his calm smile, but his eyes showed his age. Behind them was a wisdom and an anger far beyond the years his body would suggest. Cinder noted that his eyes looked ready to ignite.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Blackflame accused all to calmly. "You want to cripple Vale, destroy Beacon and meet the fall maiden, presumably to replace her. Did I get that right?"

The trio slowly nodded their heads. The tension in the room was palpable. Agreus sighed and raised his right hand. A loud snap rang through the room. Jeremiah and the eight suits of armor walked out, the lights dimmed, and the seven torches lit up, illuminating the room in a dull grey light. Upon second inspection, each torch burned with a grey fire tinged with black.

"Do you know who I am?" Agreus asked. "Do you know who we are?"

Mercury gathered the courage to speak. "You're the leader of a group of relentless mercenaries called the Sanguine Pyre."

"So, you don't know who we are. Let me educate you. The Sanguine Pyre is not a mercenary group. We are a well-organized, highly trained, strictly regulated military. We don't just hire out to the highest bidder. We actually have our own vested interests. Interests that belong to me and my own." Agreus explained. "As for me, well, tell me if you have any titles."

"Titles?" Emerald asked.

"Yes, titles. Things that people say in fear because you earned the name. I have quite a few but three stand above the rest." Agreus said as he walked toward the window.

"What are those titles?" Emerald asked.

Agreus smiled. "One of them is Ozpin's regret. That changes every so often though. Another is Remnant's Nightmare."

"That title is already taken." Cinder interrupted.

"Oh, I know. I have it, Cinder, no matter what your boss lady may claim." Agreus replied as Cinder's eyes widened ever so slightly. "My last title is Vale."

Agreus snapped his fingers again, and the drapes slowly raised. The view out the window showed that they were in a manor. A manor that sat on one of the cliffs overlooking all of Vale. The only thing they couldn't see was Beacon. They realized that they were located on one of the cliffs near Beacon.

"So, if you can't tell, I've got problems with your little plan. I can't have you destroy Beacon, my best warriors come from there. I own Vale, so turning on it would be equivalent to committing suicide. And the fall maiden, well there's a whole score of issues there that would take ages to explain. The least of which is that she is my… in… to a group who claim to guard the planet." Agreus explained.

"Now, Mister Blackflame, I'm sure you can spare some of your mercenaries-" Cinder began in a sultry voice.

"And that's another thing!" Agreus exclaimed as he turned back to the trio. "We are not a group of mercenaries. We are a control organization. Vale is under my control, even if the kingdom doesn't know it yet."

Cinder smirked. "Well, we could always just leak your existence to the press, or the police if that's the case."

"You still don't get it, do you? You could broadcast the existence of the Sanguine Pyre to the universe for all I care." Agreus responded as he sat back down.

"I don't think you understand. I know some high-ranking members of the councils from all four kingdoms." Cinder cautiously replied.

"Of course, you still don't understand. Let me spell it out for you." Agreus paused. "And take this message to the witch you call a boss, as well."

"How dare you-" Emerald began.

"How dare I? Oh, I dare, because you and yours have threatened my city, my people, my livelihood and most of all YOU LITERALLY JUST THREATENED MY FAMILY! Listen good and listen well. VALE IS MINE! THIS CITY BELONGS TO THE SANGUINE PYRE! I OWN THE POLICE! I OWN BEACON! I AM THE BACKBONE OF THE CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD AND THE GOVERNMENT! I OWN THIS BLASTED CITY! HELL, I OWN THE ENTIRE BLOODY KINGDOM! HOW DARE YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD TURN IT AGAINST ME! AND ABOUT THAT COUNCIL. NEWS FLASH! I DON'T JUST OWN THE COUNCIL; I AM THE COUNCIL! I AM THE JUDGE, THE JURY AND THE EXECUTIONER! I AM VALE!" Agreus roared slamming his fist into his desk.

The doors opened and Jeremiah entered the room, followed by a blonde-haired man with a tattoo on his right arm. Cinder however was focused on the fist Agreus had slammed into his desk. Black wisps of flame were curling off of it, but the burn scars were gone. Looking around the room, she realized that it was the same flame that burned on the seven torch sconces around the room, except the fire that burned Agreus's hand was blacker than the Grimm themselves. Agreus took several deep breaths to calm himself down before clapping his hands together and extinguishing the fire in his hands, thus returning the scars.

"I think we're done here." Agreus growled with heavy breaths. "One last thing before you leave, I just want you to know, that I was never going to make a deal with you."

"Then why see us?" Mercury spat.

"You amused me." Agreus said, propping an arm on his desk and leaning into his hand. "You three went through such an effort to meet me. I had you figured out the moment I heard you wished to meet with me _but_, I decided to see who Salem has recently hooked her claws into. I can't say I was expected anything more. It's disappointing."

"Before we go, could you explain one last thing." Cinder asked.

"Depends, but for your effort, sure." Agreus answered.

"The black fire." Cinder stated.

"Heh heh heh." Agreus chuckled, the smirk returning to his face. "Let's just say my name is more literal than most. Take them away."

The trio was blinded and drugged once again. The trio were picked up by Jeremiah and his companion.

"Your daughter and her guardian are here to see you, brother." Jeremiah said as he turned to leave.

"Thank you, Briarheart." Agreus acknowledged. "Oh, Taiyang. When Summer returns, I would like to talk to you, and would you please send in my daughter.

Taiyang nodded but didn't say a word as they left. Jeremiah stayed behind for minute. Agreus turned back toward the window and straightened out his jacket and shirt. With a snap of his fingers, the torches extinguished.

"Do we actually have a truth serum, brother?" Jeremiah asked.

"Of course, not Jeremiah. Truth serums only exist in fiction." Agreus answered.

"Then how did you know they answered truthfully? And if they did, why?" Briarheart asked.

"Oh, they answered truthfully, Jeremiah. One simple reason, Psychosomatics. I made her believe it was a truth serum; her brain did the rest." Blackflame responded.

"How did you make her believe?" Briarheart inquired.

"It's amazing the conclusions a mind will jump when they hear something from a powerful figure originates at a reliable source. Is it not so hard to believe that a chemist would be able to conjure up a serum of such potential?" Agreus answered with a smile.

"I suppose not." Jeremiah replied. "I never was the best at manipulation and control."

"Indeed. Though you know what I once heard?" Agreus asked.

"What?" Jeremiah asked in response.

A knock came from the door. The door opened and one of the nights that left peaked back in.

"Sir, your daughter is here to see you." The knight said.

"Oh, well send her in." Agreus commanded with a smile.

The door opened wider and in walked a young teenage girl with warm brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. A green cape flowed behind her and a rather odd black crow was on her shoulder. Agreus smiled warmly at the two.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed as she ran at Agreus.

Agreus knelt down and caught his daughter in a hug. He kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair as he stood up.

"It's good to see you to Amber." Jeremiah said.

"Hi Uncle Rema!" Amber said.

Jeremiah clenched his fists and inhaled sharply through his nose. At the sight of the innocent yet devious smile on Amber's face, he released his breath and stalked out of the room.

"Jeremiah?" Agreus questioned, trying to hold in laughter.

"Not going to say anything!" He called over his shoulder as the door shut behind him.

Agreus looked at his daughter before letting his laughter loose.

"Oh, you're the only one who can get away with that." Agreus said between chuckles.

"Yeah." Amber giggled.

"Now, how's my little maiden doing?" Agreus asked.

"I'm not little." Amber protested with a glare.

"Maybe not physically, but you'll always be my little girl." Agreus responded with a caring smile. "That doesn't answer my question, though."

"I'm doing great!" Amber responded with a carefree smile. "You wanted to see me though?"

"I need to speak with you and your carrier pigeon." Agreus said with a smile still on his face.

The crow on Amber's shoulder leapt off her shoulder and shifted into the form of a grey-haired man with piercing red eyes. It might seem odd to mention at first, but the man was totally sober.

"I am not a pigeon." He cried out in indignation.

"Didn't say you were, Qrow." Agreus replied. "But you're right. You're not a pigeon, that would be too dignified. You're much more of a sparrow."

Qrow raised his hands and cried out in exasperation. Amber couldn't contain her giggles at the childish exchange. It was always amusing to see Qrow so annoyed. The only person she knew that could annoy him better than her father was her unofficial aunt, Summer Rose.

"Seriously though, I did need to talk to you." Agreus said, bringing the conversation back to Remnant.

"So why did you call us in here, sir." Qrow asked.

"Two reasons. First, I wanted to warn you. Those three people I was just in a meeting with are after the fall maiden." Agreus stated as Amber gasped. "Their names are Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black and Cinder Fall."

"Do they work for her?" Qrow asked.

"Yes." Agreus answered. "I assume Salem recruited them recently. They wanted my help in destabilizing Remnant."

"You didn't agree with them, right dad?" Amber asked.

"Of course not. They took me for a fool, I just had to show them the folly of their ways." Agreus replied with a warm smile at Amber. "Now, I also wanted to know how my daughter was doing with her training."

"Well, her dad should know that my training is coming along quite well. I was able to put Qrow on his butt for the first time with my Dust staff this week." Amber replied in a falsely haughty tone.

"Is that so?" Agreus replied resting his chin on his now steepled hands. "Care to explain, guardian Qrow?"

"Yeah, the kid's not doing too bad. I didn't go easy on her this time. Though, she did cheat." Qrow responded with a glare.

"Cheat?" Agreus asked enthralled.

"I didn't cheat." Amber cried in indignation. "Dad says it's called using your resources."

"And what resources did you use, my dear?" Agreus asked.

"She used her rather explosive capabilities." Qrow answered.

"Fire?" Agreus inquired, to which he got a nod from the Branwen. "Amber, did you use your maiden powers?"

Amber looked down at the ground. "Yes." She mumbled.

"I thought as much. I've told you before, that you aren't to use them. You aren't trained in their usage yet and last time was your last warning." Agreus said. "Qrow, report into the headmaster, then you can have your time off. I will call when… I will call."

Qrow nodded, turned back into a crow and flew out of the room. Agreus lowered his gaze to Amber. Amber gazed at the floor.

"And now to deal with you." Agreus said.

"I'm sorry." The girl mumbled, her eyes starting to water. "I disappointed you, but… it's just…"

"Just?" Agreus prodded.

"I can't control it!" Amber cried, tears now rolling down her face. "It needs to be let out, and when I do… I just can't stop."

Agreus got up from his seat and walked around the desk. Amber flinched a bit when he knelt before her. Instead of punishment like she was expecting, Agreus pulled her into a tight hug. Amber just melted and cried a little harder.

"I understand, sweetheart." Agreus whispered. "I understand perfectly."

"You do?" Amber asked through her tears.

"Yes." Agreus pulled back, but still held her shoulders. "I know exactly what you're going through."

"How?" Amber hiccupped.

Agreus moved his right hand between. With a quick snap of his fingers, the scars on his hand morphed into black flames that consumed the extremity. Amber wiped some tears away as she looked at the fire.

"I went through the same issues when I discovered my semblance. Mine is a lot more dangerous than your maiden powers though; your power will seriously hurt someone before it kills them. Mine would just kill them." Agreus answered with a chuckle. "Here's the deal. I want you to go to bed, ok? You've had a long day and tomorrow I'll start teaching you how guide your flames."

"Guide them?" Amber asked, her eyes still a bit watery.

"Yes. Fire isn't something that can ever be totally controlled. I don't even have total control over my own black flames." Agreus said. "That being said, I am in the unique position to teach you how to guide the fire."

"Will I ever have black fire?" Amber asked as she wiped her eyes one last time.

"I don't know. The maiden powers aren't a semblance, so maybe." Agreus said as he stood up. "Now run along and get some rest. You'll need it if you wish to get a handle on your power."

"Ok." Amber sniffled. "Thanks dad."

She hugged him before running out of the room. Jeremiah walked back in as she left. Agreus leaned against his desk, a sad smile on his face as he watched her go.

"Something wrong, brother?" Jeremiah asked as he stood next to Agreus.

"I miss her mother." Agreus said, gesturing to Amber who was talking and gesturing animatedly in front of the armored guards just outside the room. "She reminds so much of her."

"I know, brother." Jeremiah answered. "My sister was such wonderful woman."

"She was your sister-in-law. Not blood related." Agreus said.

"When she married you, she might as well have been blood related." Jeremiah answered.

"Yeah." Agreus answered, forlorn.

"She's not dead, you know." Jeremiah said. "No body was found; no remains or DNA have ever matched her."

"It's been five years, Jeremiah." Agreus replied.

"And we still haven't found a body. I firmly believe that my dear sister, my brother's dear wife isn't dead." Jeremiah answered with such conviction.

"Thanks, Briarheart." Agreus said with a small smirk.

"Of course, dear brother." Jeremiah answered with smile. "Now, what was it you heard that you were going to tell me before we were so rudely interrupted?"

"It was a quote…" Agreus said as he walked toward the window to gaze upon his kingdom. "Right. I once heard someone say, 'that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.'"

"Isn't that the Pyre's motto?" Jeremiah deadpanned.

"Yep." Agreus answered. "Was thinking of it as you and Tai… escorted those three out."

"Were those three were the fools, in this case?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes." Agreus confirmed. "If there's one thing I can say about Vale, this is no place for fools, or angels. I am most certainly not an angel, Jeremiah."

"Why did you choose that quote for a motto, brother?" Jeremiah asked.

"Because, Briarheart, I wish to make Remnant a place where angels fear to tread. I do not suffer fools lightly, and if fools rush in where angels fear to tread, then it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel." Agreus explained. "Now, come Jeremiah. I heard that the White Fang have changed leadership, recently. I must meet this new leader. Ensure he is no fool."

Jeremiah nodded in agreement with his brother. Agreus opened a drawer in his desk and donned a gold watch with a silver band. Jeremiah noticed it was the last gift from his wife, Vermillion Blackflame. The inscription on the underside of the watch was the perfect description of Agreus. Vermillion always knew what to say. It said, 'to the blackest of flames, burn the world for me.'

"Of course. For fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Jeremiah murmured with a chuckles.

"And angels fear to tread where the black flames burn."

* * *

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**Information – This is just the beginning of an idea that I've had bouncing around in my mind for a while now. It will not take the place of the weekly updates that Unforeseen Variables gets, but I will update every now and again. After Unforeseen Variables is finished, I think this will become my main story. For the time being however, please leave comments, reviews, ideas, and constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

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	2. CH2: Illusions

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

**PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED**

**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 2: Illusion**

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One of the worst parts of his life was his job. Honestly, Trent hated being an assassin. He was good at it, amazing even, but that didn't mean he liked it. There were a lot of things that Darius Alister Trent was good at. There were also a lot of things that Darius didn't like to do. Unfortunately for him, the two sets intersect more than he would like. Assassination for one instance, origami for another.

The job was simple. Get in, cleanly end a life, get out. Quick, easy, painless, clean. That was how all of Trent's jobs went. No one was ever the wiser. Really though, he couldn't allow anyone to be the wiser. If anyone caught on to him, they'd catch on to the Pyre. If people started to catch on to the Pyre, they could learn of the Pyre's true goals. Learning of those goals would only lead to manhunts and restrictions. And if there was one thing that Trent had learned the Sanguine Pyre valued above all else, it was the freedom to do as they please, without the prying eyes of nosey individuals. A freedom that Trent was more than willing to participate in.

Right now, though, Trent just had to end another life on the council of Vale. Trent never bothered to remember their names. He only knew them as a job title and a number. Today, Councilwoman three had to go. Last time it was councilman five, next time it'll be councilman seven. A never-ending cycle of replacing the council. All to keep the Sanguine Pyre in control.

If there was one thing that Lord Blackflame was good at, it was giving the people the illusion that they had a say in the government. In reality though, on the council, you either worked for the Pyre or you were dead. No in betweens here. Councilwoman three fell into the dead category… or at least, she was soon to be dead.

Getting past guards was too easy. Walk in with a suit saying you're scheduled for a meeting with the higher ups, and they won't bat an eye. Normally, Darius would refer to them as incompetent fools. Not these men though, they worked for the Pyre. That being said, if it came for them, not even they would be safe from the purging fires. If he had to, he would readily remove a few guards from the equation. The Sanguine Pyre wouldn't bat an eye at replacing a few guards. But that wasn't what Trent was here for.

Trent entered the Councilwoman's office. She was in a meeting right now. She would be back in a good ten minutes or so. Councilwoman five was ordered to stall Councilwoman three. Trent would only need five minutes. One didn't need to study a target long to learn the basics. This target just so happened to be a fan of the drink. Gaining access to the security system had been a breeze. Camera surveillance had shown that the bottom left cabinet of her desk held a secret stash. Opening it revealed the liquid courage to Darius. More than a few bottles of whiskey shown in the dim light of the office.

"What would the taxpayers say if they knew they were funding a raging alcoholic?" Trent muttered to himself with a chuckle

Darius smiled and pulled out an unopened bottle. A couple glasses were hidden behind the bottles. Pulling them out, Darius poured a small shot of whiskey into each glass. Darius pulled out a small vial of clear liquid from inside his blazer. An old toxic friend of his, arsenic. Not enough to kill, but enough to lead the wrong parties down a wild goose chase. He carefully put some drops into one of the glasses. Again, not enough to kill, but enough to cause suspicion.

Trent sat down in the councilwoman's chair. She would be arriving any second now. He was all set anyway. He rotated the swivel chair, so the back was facing the door.

5

4

3

2

1

Right on time, the door opened. A small woman in a business suit walked in. She turned on the light and was confused. She wasn't sure if she left her chair facing the back wall, that wasn't like her. She was certain, however, that she hadn't left out two glasses of golden liquid. And she would swear on her life that none of her whiskey supply was left on the desk. The chair turning around made her jump. A man dressed in a rather simply business suit sitting behind her desk smiled at her and gestured for her to have a seat. A black ring with a red gem proudly adorned the man's finger.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? GUARDS!" The councilwoman called in a shaky voice.

"Hello councilwoman. No need for the guards. Please, take a seat, and I'll answer all your questions." Trent said.

"How about you tell me who you are first." The politician responded.

"Fair enough. You can call me Trent, and I'm sure you can figure out why I'm here." Trent smiled.

"An assassin?" She asked.

"Quick assumption." Darius said.

"Well, you're sitting here in the dark. It's unlikely your business would be legal." The councilwoman responded. "And from what I've seen before, only assassins and criminals meet government officials in the dark, assassins in particular usually choose the official's office or home."

"Astute, however could we not use the term assassin? It's quite a strong word." Trent responded with a smile.

"But you are an assassin." The councilwoman deadpanned.

Trent looked to the ceiling for a brief second. "Yeah."

"Great. What are you being paid? I can triple it." The councilwoman was surprisingly calm.

"You could, but I don't want money." Trent said.

"How about power then? I could make you a lord." The councilwoman responded.

"I don't want power, and who accepts lordships anymore? Actually, don't say anymore councilwoman. You can't give me what I want." Trent said.

"What do you want then?" She asked.

"Influence. I want an influence that can really only be gained with your dead body." Trent's smile turned predatory as he picked up his glass. "Have a drink."

"I'll pass. I don't know if I can trust you." The councilwoman replied.

"Smart move. You can't trust me. I am here to kill you after all. Therefore, you have no way of knowing if the glass is poisoned or not. But you can trust me in this instance. I wouldn't kill you with poison." Trent said.

He could feel his semblance working its magic. The councilwoman's will began to weaken. Her hands were starting to shake.

"Why not kill with poison?" She asked warily.

"Poison is such a boring method of assassination. Too many assassins kill in such a way. This makes for a perfect red herring." Trent answered. "I don't want to kill you with poison, I just the detectives to think I did. Go on, take a drink."

A funny thing, semblances are. Semblances are an expression of the soul. Everyone should have their aura unlocked and choose their profession based on their semblance. It would make life so much easier. A shaky hand extended and grabbed the glass. Darius's smile turned to a confident smirk.

"Do you want to know something funny?" Trent said as the councilwoman finally downed the shot. "That drink was poisoned."

The councilwoman looked panicked. "I thought you said you weren't going to poison me?"

"No, I said I wasn't going to kill you with poison." Trent clarified as he stood up and started walking around the office. "No, I'm going to kill you a different way. Besides, I didn't put enough arsenic in the drink to kill you."

"Even if you kill me, you'll never make it out of the building." The councilwoman replied, getting a bit of confidence.

"No, I'll be able to walk out of here without a problem. You know why?"

The council woman slowly shook her head.

"It's because of the organization I work for. We are the ones who truly run the council." Trent continued. "The council runs Vale, but the Sanguine Pyre runs the council."

"So, you do exist." The councilwoman muttered in realization.

"Of course, we do. The Pyre was founded nearly 170 years ago. We may have ceased being a public fixture here in Vale, but that doesn't mean we have ceased to exist. Now that you know who we are, I'm sure you can figure out why we must remove you." Trent said.

"Even if you remove me from office, you won't change the vote. Besides, you can't guarantee that it will be your people who replace me. And like I said, you won't get out of this building alive. I just have to call for the guards and you'll be arrested." she countered.

"It hasn't sunk in yet, but it will. The Pyre doesn't just run the council, the Pyre runs Vale. Security, police, hospitals, even Beacon are bought and paid for by the council. And we can guarantee that the next election will be won by the Pyre." Trent explained with a smile.

"How? Tampering with ballots?" The councilwoman asked with an eye roll.

"No, rigging the election. Kind of hard for a person who isn't a member of the Pyre to make the council if only members of the Pyre are running." Trent replied with a smile as he moved behind the councilwoman.

"If people found out, they'd never stand for it." The councilwoman said, her voice shaking again.

Darius removed a small thin needle like blade from the inside of his sleeve and positioned it behind the council woman's head.

"Indeed. That's why we give them the illusion of choice. If they think they had a fair election, they won't revolt." Trent got really close to the woman's ear. "I need to get down to business as none of that matters anyway. Everyone in this building works for the Pyre. The security, the janitors, even most of the council. You don't. You have been trying to pass laws, legislation, bills, and proposals that would directly lead to conflict with the Pyre, and by proxy, Lord Blackflame himself. Security is down in this sector, and you will be nothing more than a passing memory come next week. Say goodnight councilwoman and enjoy retirement."

Trent drove the blade into her neck, right through the spinal cord. He had perfected his strategy over the years. Severing the spinal cord lead to a large number of issues. One of his favorites, the reason his kills could be blamed on poison, was asphyxiation. Without the signals coming from the brain, the lungs wouldn't pull in oxygen. A few minutes and it would be over, all while the victim had no clue as to what was happening. Trent smiled as he sat down in the former councilwoman's chair. The wide-eyed look of terror on her face as she slowly died of oxygen deprivation was strangely pleasing to Darius.

"You see councilwoman, The Sanguine Pyre employs a great many people for a great many jobs. One of those jobs is council control. The only people they've hired for that are named Darius, Alister, and Trent. The way the Pyre sees it, there are three types of people in government. The sheep who follow a strong voice, the shepherds who are the strong voice, and the thorns that need to be removed. I only see two people in government. Those that align with the Pyre and those that are dead. In either case, you are the latter. Enjoy your early retirement."

The council woman slumped back in the chair. Her eyes vacant. Darius grabbed a piece of paper and pressed it and his fingers against her neck. He smiled at the lack of a heartbeat. The councilwoman was well and truly dead. Darius pulled out his scroll and dialed a number. The other end of the line rang for a few seconds. A woman answered in a mechanical tone.

"We're sorry, but the number you are trying to reach isn't in use, please hang up and try again later."

"Doesn't matter. I need to speak with Jeremiah Briarheart." Darius said as he leaned back in the former councilwoman's chair.

The line went silent for a few minutes. Eventually the aged voice of Jeremiah Briarheart came on.

"What business do you have with me?" He asked.

"Simple Jeremiah, I have removed a particularly nasty thorn from our side." Trent stated.

"Trent? The councilwoman is dead?" Jeremiah inquired.

"Indeed, sir." Trent replied.

"Good. Return to your home. I will call when your next target is chosen." Jeremiah responded.

"Of course, sir… and about my request?" Trent prodded.

"I shall pass it on to my brother." Jeremiah said before hanging up.

Trent smiled as he wiped the tiny drops of blood off his blade. The job had been a rousing success. A vacancy on the council could see another member of the Pyre in government. It could see him in government. Now there was an influence he could use. Councilman Trent, yeah, that sounded nice.

Trent left the office. The guards that the councilwoman had so relied upon were nowhere in sight. He hadn't been lying when he said the council controlled everything. Two security guards approaching the room just proved his point. They each had a Pyre ring. Trent smiled as he stopped them.

"Gentlemen, it would seem that the councilwoman scheduled to meet with me has entered an early forced retirement. I would suggest waiting a few hours before reporting it." Trent said.

He didn't have to use his semblance on the guards. They would listen to him, chances are, they'd already seen his ring, and could probably figure out he worked for the Pyre. He wouldn't be surprised if they already knew what he was there for.

Darius smiled as he gave them a two-finger salute and left the building. No one stopped him; no one had any reason to. It was almost noon on a late summer day and crowds were bustling about. He was just a man exiting a government building after a meeting with an official. He melted into the crowd; his destination known only to him. There was nothing to be suspicious of. Besides, if people did start looking to closely at his dealings, he could just… persuade them to look away.

That's what he did best. Persuade. He would make an excellent politician.

=Elsewhere=

"Who was that Jeremiah?" Agreus questioned.

"Only our best assassin. There is once more a vacancy on the council of Vale." Jeremiah answered.

"Oh, you think Trent actually did his job silently this time?" Agreus asked.

"Doubtful. Trent likes gloating too much. I'd bet all the lien in my pocket that he'd gloat about anything." Jeremiah replied.

"I'll take that bet." Agreus said.

"How much?" Briarheart asked.

"All the lien in my pocket." Agreus replied with a cheeky grin.

"You don't have any lien in your pocket." Jeremiah answered.

"Exactly." Agreus replied. "But enough of that now, we are here."

Jeremiah straightened his tie. Agreus pulled off his jacket and draped it over his shoulders. The rings gently clinking together, he walked into the middle of the White Fang camp. Many of the faunus grabbed their weapons and pointed them at the intruders. Agreus smirked. Many of them just watched as the two made their way confidently through the camp, and quite a few more simply nodded at Jeremiah. Of course, they would recognize him. Jeremiah did much of the recruiting, but it was Agreus who did all the assignments.

The two marched up to the tent in the center of camp. It was clear this was the tent that the new leader resided in. The fact that the tent had standing security made Agreus wonder if the newest leader of the Fang didn't feel safe in his new position. Looking closer at the guards, Agreus almost laughed. One of them had a pyre ring pierced through his ear. It was innocuous enough.

The non-pyre guard spoke up. "What right do you have to march through our camp, human.?"

The venom was almost dripping from his voice. Agreus would let it slide. The White Fang had been getting quite racist recently. Ironic.

"Well, guardsman, I'm here because I have a meeting with the new leader of the White Fang." Agreus responded, calmly.

"Let us tell Adam Taurus then." The other guard answered.

He gestured to his partner and the two guards entered the tent. Jeremiah glanced at his brother. Agreus just stared ahead. The Pyre guard exited the tent.

"Adam will see you now." He said.

Agreus and Jeremiah entered the tent. It was very spartan in its layout. The only two people in the tent were a red-haired bull faunus, and a young black-haired cat faunus. A table was set up in the middle of the tent. On the table was a map depicting the kingdom of Vale. Several locations were marked by a large red x. It looked like a battle strategy. The White Fang appeared to be preparing for something in Vale. What it was, neither brother could tell. Agreus was delighted to see that the map neglected to include Blackflame Manor on the cliffs by Beacon.

"Thank you for meeting with us sir. Might we have your name to get pleasantries out of the way? We do have business elsewhere, and as such have little time to dilly dally." Jeremiah said as they entered.

The bull faunus scowled. "You can call me Adam, and then you can tell me why I shouldn't have you filthy humans gutted for daring to step foot into our camp."

"Oh, straight to the point. To put it simply Adam, my brother and I are here to make a deal with the White Fang. Seeing as how you have assumed the role of leader, we found it prudent to come to you." Jeremiah explained.

"That doesn't mean anything. Why should I trust a pair of disgusting humans?" Adam repeated.

"Racist and radical. Poor qualities for a leader." Jeremiah muttered.

"I HEARD THAT!" Adam roared getting ready to draw his blade.

"Now, now, Mister Taurus, if you hold off your rage for but one minute, I will explain to you our purpose." Agreus interjected.

"One minute." Adam growled.

"Good. Now, in the past, the present and the soon to be present, the kingdom of Vale has, do and will have worked well with the faunus. Your organization's goals are admirable. Equality for all. The thing is, you are focusing on the wrong kingdom." Agreus said.

"Any kingdom with humans and faunus treated unequally is the right kingdom. Three weeks ago, five innocent faunus were shot in the street by Vale's police force." Adam bit back.

"Actually, they were criminals." Jeremiah said.

"Is that what you see as equality? You label one race as criminals and have them shot." Adam said indignant.

"No… Jeremiah is quite right they were criminals. Those five men, sorry, faunus raped and murdered a pair of teenage girls a week prior. An outstanding warrant for their capture was closed the next day. What you saw as murder, we saw as justice." Agreus explained.

"Murder isn't justice." Adam snarled.

"Quite right. But that was an execution. As it stands, Vale is one of, if not, the least racist and most crime free kingdom on Remnant. Besides, you're forgetting the fact that we had another execution of seven two weeks later." Agreus said.

"Why do you give so many people the death penalty?" The cat faunus asked.

"Quiet Blake." Adam said.

"Well, to be quite frank, using the death penalty discourages those criminals from performing similar actions in the future. We do have a prison system, but it is only for the Vale has deemed to be… minor. Of course, we also impose the death penalty because prevention is better than a cure." Jeremiah answered, ignoring Adam.

"Jeremiah, we have gone on long enough. No more pleasantries. No more pointless questions. Adam Taurus, I come here as a representative of the Sanguine Pyre, the organization that currently owns and operates the entirety of the kingdom of Vale. We have faunus and humans working together in harmony in the upper echelons of our organization. We came here today because the White Fang, despite your claims of being a protest group fighting against racism, have been growing increasingly violent. Honestly, I can't say I blame you." Agreus said.

"What's your point?" Adam responded.

"My point is that Vale will not tolerate a terrorist organization within its borders. You will cease and desist any and all actions against the city and kingdom of Vale, immediately." Agreus commanded.

"And if we don't?" Adam snarled.

"Hah, look at this brother, he acts as if we're giving him a choice." Jeremiah said with a laugh.

"My brother is quite right. Adam, I'm not giving you a choice. If the White Fang refuses to cease operations in the territory of the Sanguine Pyre, you will be branded as criminals and terrorists. We are fully willing to help and supply the Fang in operations in every kingdom, except Vale." Agreus explained.

"The White Fang will pass on your offer." Adam said with no hesitation. "We don't make deals with humans, and this so-called Sanguine Pyre will be sorry if you run across my men."

"Disappointing, but not unexpected." Agreus sighed. "Very well then, come Jeremiah. We're leaving. Our business is clearly not wanted. The previous leader of the Fang was more negotiable than this."

Agreus almost missed the gasp from the girl. Jeremiah turned and exited the tent. A crowd of faunus had gathered outside watching to see what would happen.

"Hold it, I'm not done with you yet." Adam called after him.

"Yes, you are." Jeremiah answered.

"No human can just waltz into our camp and walk away unharmed!" Adam roared.

Agreus heard the sound of footsteps running toward him. In a motion that would be impossible to catch with the naked eye, Agreus spun around to meet the charging faunus. With a snap of his fingers as he turned to meet Adam, black fire roared to life on his hands. Guiding the flame to protect his hands, Agreus caught Adam's blade a two feet from his neck. Many of the faunus backed away from the look of sheer fury on Agreus's face. Increasing the power of the flame, Agreus began to bend the crimson blade.

Adam could look on shocked as this mere human not only caught his sword (which had been described as an unstoppable object by many people before) but continued to bend, then snap the blade. All with his bare hands.

Many of the faunus around them had drawn their weapons and were pointing them at the duo. It was difficult to tell who had more guns pointed at them though, Agreus or Adam.

"Listen and listen well!" Agreus commanded, his voice bellowing across the camp despite him not yelling. "The White Fang has chosen poorly this day. From now on, the claws of the Fang will be seen as a symbol of terrorists within the kingdom of Vale. The Sanguine Pyre has worked with the Fang in the past, but now, that alliance is gone. This day the White Fang has dug their own grave, and the Sanguine Pyre will see that you lie in it."

Agreus threw a stunned Adam backward. Jeremiah scowled at Adam. Agreus stooped over and picked up the half of Adam's blade that he had broken. Agreus walked out of the camp, Jeremiah following closely behind. The faunus parted before them, many out of fear, many more out of respect.

"You think I could have a metal worker make this into a new Pyre ring?" Agreus asked as they left earshot of the camp.

"Probably, they would just need another blood diamond." Jeremiah answered.

The two stopped walking when they reached the clearing their bullhead had touched down in. They turned around as they heard the curious sound of rustling bushes. Agreus raised an eyebrow in question.

"Your stealth could use some work." Agreus said. "So, if you would, come out and we can talk face to face."

The cat faunus girl from earlier slowly walked out of the bushes. Jeremiah looked slightly surprised. Agreus however, had a knowing look on his face.

"Brother?" Jeremiah asked.

"We have a tail." Agreus stated.

"Yes, but why?" Jeremiah asked.

"Ask her, Briarheart." Agreus answered pointing at the girl.

Jeremiah turned to the girl. "Why are you following us?"

"You said you worked with my father." The girl answered.

"That depends. Who's your father?" Jeremiah asked.

"The previous leader of the White Fang." The girl answered.

"Who?" Jeremiah asked.

"I forget, you never met him, did you, Jeremiah?" Agreus said.

"No. Until today, I had yet to meet a leader of the White Fang. You were the one in charge of that relation, brother." Jeremiah answered.

"Right." Agreus responded.

"Do you know what happened to him? I haven't seen him in quite some time." The girl asked.

"You must be Blake Belladonna. Ghira talked a lot about you. He was a good friend." Agreus said absentmindedly. "A few of my men found his body a few months ago. I know it means little, but I offer my condolences."

Blake fell to her knees. Tears began to stream down her face.

"Do you know how he died?" She asked between sobs.

"Yes. It looked like a Grimm attack, but it was determined that his cause of death was three bullets through the heart. The identity of the shooter was never discovered." Agreus answered.

Blake started crying harder. Agreus walked over and knelt beside her. She noticed and just latched onto him. Agreus just sat there and comforted the teen.

"I'm sorry. I thought someone had told you. Ghira Belladonna was a good man. He will be greatly missed." Agreus said.

Blake's crying eventually devolved into hiccups and the occasional sniffle.

"You said you are for faunus equality?" She sniffled.

"Yes, why?" Agreus asked.

"Can I join you?" She asked, looking up at Agreus in hope.

"How old are you?" Jeremiah asked.

"Fifteen." She responded.

"I don't like inducting the underage." Jeremiah muttered.

"Well, Blake, seeing as you are underage, you can't be fully inducted into the Pyre, but you can help us." Agreus said.

"How?" Blake asked.

"Well… we could always use a spy." Agreus said.

"A spy? Don't we have enough in the Fang?" Jeremiah asked.

"Possibly, but Blake here seems to be close to the top of the hierarchy." Agreus answered.

"And what difference does that make, dear brother?" Jeremiah asked.

"All the difference, Briarheart. We have never had a spy in the highest management of the fang, as we didn't need one. Now, though, it appears we do. I only knew that there was a change in leadership, not who took over." Agreus answered.

"I still don't like this." Jeremiah responded.

"You don't have to. Besides, I don't expect this job to be permanent." Agreus said before turning to Blake. "Before I do this, though, I need to know what you're capable of."

"I'm good with a blade and a pistol." Blake stated.

"So, you're combat trained. Good. How about a semblance?" Jeremiah asked.

"Uh… I can leave behind a shadow clone to take damage for me…" Blake answered nervously, still sniffling every so often.

"Show me." Agreus said.

Blake looked at Agreus. Agreus withdrew a pistol and was aiming it at Blake. He waited. It took Blake a moment to realize he was waiting for her. She nodded at him. Agreus fired the sidearm and watched as the bullet flew through the air, straight toward Blake. Blake activated her semblance, causing the bullet to impact with the shadow clone she left behind. The clone disappeared and the bullet fell harmlessly to the ground.

Agreus smiled. He walked up to Blake and removed the Pyre ring from the zipper of his jacket. He knelt down and handed it to her.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a ring of your size, but this will mark you as a trust of the Sanguine Pyre." Agreus said as Blake to the black metal ring. "What I want you to do, for the time being, is to report on what Adam does and plans to do. Don't let him find out you're now with us, Ok?"

"Who do I report to?" Blake asked.

"A member of the Pyre. All you have to do is find someone in the Fang who bears that ring. Show them yours and give anything you find out to them. They'll get it to me." Agreus explained.

"You said this is only temporary?" Blake asked.

"Yes. The Sanguine Pyre fully intends to carry through with the threat against the Fang. Members of the Pyre will be spared. Otherwise, when you come of age, if you wish, I can give you a new assignment." Agreus said.

"I did want to attend Beacon…" Blake trailed off.

"We can help with that. For now, though, just focus on the task at hand." Agreus responded as he stood up.

Blake thanked Agreus and ran back to the camp. Jeremiah was glaring at Agreus. Agreus ignored the glare as they boarded the airship. When they were well and, on their way, Jeremiah broke the tense silence.

"I didn't think you would fully induct her." Jeremiah answered.

"I didn't. You'll notice that she didn't undergo the trial or the ceremony." Agreus replied.

"Yet you gave her a ring as if she were a full member." Jeremiah snapped.

"Jeremiah, when have you known me to take actions that would prove detrimental in the long run?" Agreus asked. "Besides, she'll come of age in two years. If she so wishes, which she probably will, at that time we can induct her into the Pyre."

"She's 15 now? It still doesn't feel right." Jeremiah answered.

"I know. It is exceedingly rare that we induct those who recently come of age, but it is not unheard of for a Beacon student to be inducted into the Pyre. Besides, collecting the youth is one of the main ways to further our own goals." Agreus said.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, you're right." Jeremiah asked.

Agreus smiled at his brother. "I hope you realize that the young minds aren't the only focus of the Pyre. I don't wish to corrupt them or make them into killers. Sometimes, though, my wishes don't matter."

"I know." Jeremiah responded.

"Good. We still have a bit of a quandary, though." Agreus stated. "We'll have to convince Remnant that the White Fang are terrorists."

"You know, I might have a solution for that. It would also solve another of our problems. Although, you are not going to like it." Jeremiah declared.

"Really? Let's hear it, then. Let me decide for myself." Agreus commanded.

"Reassign Trent to the council." Jeremiah answered.

"You're right, I don't like that." Agreus deadpanned. "Trent is the best assassin we have, even if he can't help but gloat. Putting him the public spotlight would remove a valuable asset."

"Hear me out though, just hear me out." Jeremiah quickly interjected. "Trent is our best assassin, yes, AND by that metric, he has never been caught. There's never been any suspicion that Darius Trent is a criminal. If we put him on the council, he could still do assassin work for us. It would have the added benefit of giving him more legitimate reasons to meet with other council members."

"That's a good point… but it's not enough." Agreus replied.

"That's not even my main point." Jeremiah continued. "Darius Trent has a semblance perfectly suited to his job as an assassin, but I think it would be better suited to a politician."

"What is his semblance? I don't think he's ever told me." Agreus said.

"Or he did, but he convinced you he didn't."

Agreus gave a questioning look to Jeremiah.

"His semblance is persuasion. He excels at making people believe and accept what he wants them to believe and accept. It's why he's a good assassin…" Jeremiah resumed.

"And why he'd be a good politician." Agreus finished. "If Trent can truly make people believe and accept what he wants them to, then he would indeed be invaluable on a council."

"And our problems with labeling the White Fang and the current vacancy would just… disappear." Jeremiah said with a sly smile.

"He might even be able to worm his way into the international festival committee… and give us headway into the other kingdoms!" Agreus exclaimed.

"I hadn't even thought of that." Jeremiah responded.

"Brother, this is why we work together." Agreus said.

"Don't call me brother. It's Jeremiah or Briarheart." Jeremiah deadpanned.

"I know, Jeremiah, I know." Agreus said. "I am giving this decision to Trent. If he can convince the people he belongs on the council, then he will have the full support of the Sanguine Pyre."

"Of course, brother." Jeremiah answered.

"Oh, and tell him, if he does get into office, that I will personally rip out his soul should he fail us." Agreus continued.

"Of course, brother." Jeremiah repeated.

* * *

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**Data Log AFT002**

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	3. CH3: Harvester

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

**PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED**

**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 3: The Harvester**

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~Audio Playback: Inside the Combat Academies of Remnant: tv special, Beacon Edition~

"Welcome back to our deep dive into the combat academies of Remnant as we continue our journey through these prestigious institutions, we come now our interview with the headmaster. Today we are interviewing Headmaster Ozpin. The distinguished head of Beacon Academy, the most revered combat school on the planet. Headmaster, my viewers would like to know why Beacon is far more revered than the other academies."

"Well, the reason for that would have to be our exceptional staff and facilities. We hire only the best and offer only the best for our students."

"Interesting, now-"

~skip~

"This has been a most enlightening interview headmaster, but one of the most asked questions people have is, who was your most memorable student?"

"Well… that's a difficult question… My best student in recent years would have to be a young woman by the name of Summer Rose. She-"

"Pardon my interruption, headmaster, but I didn't ask for your best student. I asked for your most memorable."

"Right…"

"Something wrong headmaster?"

"No… no. It just… my most memorable student. He came to Beacon many years ago. According to his transcripts, he was neither exceptional, nor exemplary; He was actually quite average, almost painfully so."

"If he was so average, why did you let him in?"

"Because his transcripts could not have been more wrong. He was simply… extraordinary. He was never ranked the best in his classes, but he was no slouch in combat. He just wasn't a fighter. However, I have not had a more brilliant strategist and tactician than him. Just speaking with him showed me that he was a tactical genius."

"I assume there is more than just tactics and strategy at play here. After all, a good strategist doesn't necessarily mean that a student will be memorable."

"Of course. He was odd from the beginning. Prior to his initiation, he didn't interact with his peers. The only person I ever saw him interact with before he was initiated was his younger brother. After initiation though, he changed. It was like a switch had been flipped. It would be rare to see him not interacting with someone in the school, be they student or faculty. I was the only person he seemed to actively avoid."

"Any reason why?"

"Not particularly. He just didn't like me that much."

"Is that why he's the most memorable?"

"No, plenty of students who come through Beacon have hated me for one reason or another. No, he's the most memorable because, going back to an earlier question, he is the main reason for Beacon producing such exemplary Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Ok… I don't quite understand…"

"It's simple, Beacon only accepts the best. We have talent scouts to find the best or those with the greatest potential, all because of him. We bring in more students of increasing potential and skill because I don't want him to be my most memorable student."

"Interesting… with the other headmasters, their most memorable student was a student who was either someone they were close to, a paragon of good, or the like. With yours, it almost sounds like you wish you could forget him."

"No, I don't want to forget him. I agree with my history professor on this, but those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. I don't want a repeat of him. You see, he is my most memorable student because… he is the only student I regret admitting into Beacon."

~End Playback~

The recording ended and the lights brightened. The tv special had long since been lost to the annals of media history. However, it was not completely destroyed. Snippets of the specials still existed. A great example being the audio playback that the doctor had just heard. He had been listening to these for some time now. The key to was in the recordings, but none of them gave a name. This one though, this one interview was the lynchpin in everything.

Who was Ozpin's regret?

It was a title he had first heard attributed to a name of prominence many years ago, but for the life of him, he could not remember the name it was attributed to. Of course, he had some suspects, but suspicion was not enough. He needed proof. He needed concrete facts. He needed to know who the leader of the Sanguine Pyre was.

"I'll find you one day." He muttered to no one in particular. "I will heal the disease you inflicted upon Remnant."

The doctor breathed in deeply. The sweet scent of herbs and spices filled his nostrils as he inhaled. The mask and robe did a pretty good job hiding his identity… not that it really mattered anyway. The only real distinguishing mark that could easily pick him out in a crowd was his mask. And his old injuries. AND Augustus, a dust crystal construct that looked like a hawk. It was animated, and it perched on the shelf behind him. He was good at animating dust. Though, the construct's movements were quite stilted.

He reached up and stroked the head of the construct and allowed himself to get lost in the memories.

The "disgraced" Doctor Julius Morbosus Harvester was quite well known across Remnant. An outstanding surgeon, an innovative dust alchemist, and infamous serial killer. Remnant didn't know him as Doctor Julius Morbosus Harvester, Ph.D. Remnant knew him as Doc Harvester, the Organ Bandit. An infamous serial killer known for carving out the organs of his victims for his diabolical experiments.

He was exemplary in med school. Dust alchemy was just a hobby, at first. Then he discovered and patented gravity dust. All of the sudden, this one random doctoral student was launched to international stardom. His hobby became his life and what he wanted his life to be became a hobby. He was still a medical doctor, but he was a dust alchemist first. He had a medical license, but his pursuits focused on dust.

Unlocking his aura and discovering his semblance certainly helped with his pursuits. Little things like laws didn't. Science waits for no man, as such, neither would Doctor Harvester. The dust alchemist medical doctor took his dust experiments to new heights. Dust experimentation on human/faunus beings wasn't strictly illegal… of course, the law assumed those beings were cadavers at the time. No, Doctor Harvester began to make a name for himself by experimenting on the organs of still living people. It didn't matter if they were willing or not, such experimentation was prohibited. The medical community saw the experimentation as a violation of basic ethical and moral laws. As such, Doctor Harvester had his medical license revoked and was sentenced to a twenty-year prison sentence.

However, science waits for no man, or laws… or walls. Within three months of imprisonment, Harvester escaped by faking his death. Everyone believed him dead; paperwork was just easier that way. Thus, he fled Atlas and hid in the wilds beyond the kingdoms, slowly making his way to Vale.

It was there that he discovered the existence of the Sanguine Pyre. At first it was nothing more than rumor mongering and little oddities in people's behavior. A lot of investigation led to the discovery of the shadow government. And with its discovery, the good doctor found a disease he needed to cure.

However, the Sanguine Pyre was so entrenched in Valean society that it would take years to remove them. During that time, Harvester continued in his dust experimentation. His name was removed from history as the discoverer of gravity dust, but he didn't care. He was making a name for himself.

Vale, and the rest of Remnant came to learn of a serial killer who focused on stealing the organs of his victims. There were only a couple things that anyone was able to determine about this new killer. The first was that he must have some medical training, as the organs were removed with surgical precision. The second was that he must have an unlocked aura, there was no distinction for him. He chose everyone. Civilians, Huntsmen, Huntresses, criminals, innocents, police officers, members of the Pyre, etc. There was no discrimination, and there was no evidence of the killer.

People came to call him Doc Harvester after the dead and disgraced doctor who experimented on living people. Although, this time, he was actually harvesting organs.

While this took place above, Julius continued his experiments in his safehouse. Dust alchemy can produce amazing results. Combine dust with blood just alters things further. It didn't matter who he killed, only that they had blood for him to take. With it, he created a few more unique dust types. However, since the world rejected him, he would not be sharing these discoveries just yet.

Of his unique dust creations, three made him more proud than any other. One was a red and blue colored crystal that he called blood dust. A combination of blood, water dust, and earth dust. With it, an extremely potent healing solution was formed. So potent was it that activating the dust could literally create living flesh.

Second was a brighter glowing red crystal that Doc Harvester called inferno dust. The Doc once said that inferno dust burns with the rage of a dying star. In reality, he wasn't all that far off. The inferno dust actually could burn with the heat of a supernova. As such, it was incredibly dangerous, and Doc Harvester only used it in special cases. An extremely low powered pulse of aura into the crystal would produce a flame that burned three thousand times hotter than the average fire dust crystal.

The final crystal he created was the one he was most proud… even if it was an accident and not quite perfect yet. The crystal actually came about from his semblance. Doctor Julius Harvester's semblance lends itself really well to dust alchemy. His semblance allowed him to grow dust crystals on his body and manipulate the dust crystal as if it were one of his limbs or an extension of his will. Any type of dust he comes into contact with he can assimilate and grow a crystal of it on command, even the new crystals he creates. The only drawback is that his crystals tend to be less stable than a naturally occurring crystal… well they were anyway.

The accident occurred when he tried to fuse an unstable inferno crystal with an unstable blood crystal. The resulting explosion destroyed his lab burned much of his flesh away. Only the quick application of a blood crystal kept him from dying. The newly fused dust crystal glowed in shades of red and yellow. It looked like a small flame. Of course, Doc Harvester had no clue what it did, and he only had one willing test subject. Himself. Using his diminishing aura, He activated the dust crystal and experienced more pain in the seconds to follow than he ever would in the rest of his life.

The power contained within the crystal tore through the lab, destroying pretty much everything, including Doc Harvester. The inferno burned everything, melting the flesh from his bones and trying to burn his bones. The blood stitched him back together just as fast. All in all, it was a loop of pain, burning and repair. Despite the pain, he could feel his life stabilizing. Crystalline structures began forming on his limbs and the pain began to abate. With inferno having diminished, Doc Harvester was able to take in the results of his experiment.

The lab was gone. No doubt he would need a new safehouse, authorities would be gathering soon enough. The changes to his body were far more interesting. The flesh on his arm had changed. In place of skin and muscles was a turquoise crystal. The bone was visible underneath and because of his semblance, he could move the crystal as if it were his flesh. Removing his shirt, he was able to see that the crystal had become more than just his arm. Patches of his body had been replaced by the crystal.

Hearing the pounding coming from the door to his lab brought him from his observations. Thinking quickly, he packed up the newly created crystal, donned his shirt and fled through the back entrance to his underground lab. He had another safehouse in the city that he was able to reach.

It was on his way to his second safehouse that he discovered another change caused by the incident. A majority of his head had been crystallized. His eyes were starkly different in color than the rest of the crystal that made up his skull. Honestly, he looked more like a construct than a person. It was just the first change.

Overtime, he came to learn that the crystals that formed his body were, in essence, variable dust crystals. Their base form had no element assigned to it, but with an application of his semblance, they would change to whatever element he chose. He also learned that his heart was entirely crystallized into a blood dust crystal. Another ability he gained was a rapid healing, with a caveat. The flesh that healed would be knit back together with the crystals that now made up a good chunk of his body. These odd side effects of his new form became the answer to one of the most intriguing problems in the medical community. Over time, Doc Harvester came to see that his body would not age. In essence, Doc Harvester had defeated death.

Augustus was also a product of this dust. He created a large crystal of it and spent a relatively not so insignificant portion of his time carving it to like a bird. Injecting his semblance into the construct, he animated and had a constant construct companion for his crusade. He named it Augustus; his name set a precedent that he was determined to follow.

Ascertaining that it would not be conducive to his experiments for people to see a partially crystallized man, Doc Harvester set about disguising it. Deciding that the name would become the identity, he began to create an outfit that would serve him well. In a matter of days, he had created an outfit and Doc Harvester became a demented plague doctor.

The crystal however, the effect it had on him was not unique. The crystal would burn old flesh and rebuild it anew, but it wasn't perfect. About half the time it would create a human/faunus crystal construct hybrid, like him, the other fifty percent of the time it would be a perfect recreation of the original body. He called this dust the phoenix's reflection, the dust of immortality… possibly. The two possible forms determined if you would live forever or not.

Doc Harvester gave name to the two different possibilities. If the flames decided that you would be rebuilt as your original form, you would continue living with a slightly lengthened lifespan. He named this form the imperfect reflection. If, however, the cleansing fires of the phoenix decided that you should transcend the feeble body that humans and faunus were cursed with, you would be rebuilt as a crystalline human/faunus construct. He called this form the perfect reflection.

The memories faded as Doctor Julius Harvester inhaled the scent of the herbs stored in the beak of his mask. That was nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. Since that time, the name Julius Morbosus Harvester had been struck from the history books and he was no longer accredited with the creation of gravity dust. No, history had been rewritten to imply that gravity dust was a naturally occurring crystal. Because of course, who would want a homicidal madman attributed to one of the greatest discoveries of modern times? Apparently, nobody.

Not that it mattered. Remnant would come to know him when he cured the planet, but first, he needed some more test subjects. And maybe this time would be different. The Pyre was still entrenched in the kingdom, but less people for the Pyre wasn't a bad thing.

With a whistle, Augustus flew and perched on Julius's shoulder. Together, he left the room and disappeared into the night.

Doc Harvester would strike again.

…/…

"Excellent, now to guide the flame, just push it forwards. Will it to move beyond your hands."

With much struggling, a tiny spark flew from Amber's hand. It was very little. If it were to hit someone, they would barely notice. To Agreus however, it was a sign of progress. After having to break his promise of training her a few days ago, Agreus decided that he would devote a few days to teaching Amber her powers. She was finding it difficult to guide the flame. She could summon it just fine. The problem was that she struggled to keep it under her control.

Amber's struggling was beginning to frustrate her. They had been training for eight hours today with only a tiny spark that had flown from her hand to show for it. That was nothing compared to what her dad could do, and it was frustrating. The sound of clapping drew her attention. Agreus was clapping, and he looked excited. It was incredibly rare for anything to make her father this happy.

"That was excellent!" Agreus exclaimed.

"Excellent?" Amber asked in disbelief. "I barely conjured a spark."

"I know, but you were able to conjure it beyond your hands. You're already well ahead of where I was when I began training." Agreus explained.

"What?" Amber asked.

"Amber, when I first started training, I had to learn to keep the flame from hurting me. It took me nearly two years before I was able to even begin learning to guide my fire. Most of that time was spent just keeping it from hurting me." Agreus explained.

Agreus looked toward the door as he heard it close. Jeremiah was standing there, looking quite grave. Behind him was black haired woman with a white cloak and silver eyes. Next to her was an orange haired man with a bowler hat, white coat and an ungodly amount of eyeliner. The man and the woman were glaring at each other. Both of them wore a pyre ring. The woman as a clasp for her cloak and the man just a normal ring.

"Hey, why don't we continue this later. You should take a break, ok?" Agreus told his daughter.

Amber, recognizing the situation, nodded and walked out of the room. When the door closed, Agreus sat down behind his desk and motioned his guests to sit as well. Jeremiah remained standing but the man and woman sat.

"Summer, Roman a pleasure, as always." Agreus greeted.

"Sir." Summer greeted politely.

"Boss man." Roman greeted, in an oddly cordial style.

"Roman, where's your ward?" Agreus asked.

"Neo is unable to be here today." Roman answered. "She's keeping an eye on our most recent acquisition."

"Fair enough. Now, I assume that you are here for more than just a courtesy call." Agreus responded.

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Absolutely."

"You too Jeremiah?" Agreus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jeremiah nodded.

"Alright. Roman, you first. What is your report?" Agreus asked.

"Well, I heard through the grapevine that you recently played host a she devil and her two lackeys." Roman began.

"Yes." Agreus responded.

"And you denied her request for help from the pyre." Roman continued.

"Is there a point to this, Torchwick?" Summer asked.

"Yes, there is Rosy." Torchwick replied. "I'm just confirming with the director that he actually met with a she devil."

"I did, now please get to your point, Roman." Agreus answered while Summer just glared at Roman.

"Well, she and her lackeys are trying to recruit me." Roman finished.

"And?" Agreus prodded.

"I wasn't sure what to do." Roman replied with a shrug. "Told them I'd think of it. They expect an answer tomorrow."

"When did you meet with them?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yesterday." Roman answered.

"If you met with them yesterday, then why didn't you speak with the higher ups yesterday?!" Summer asked.

"Summer, please calm down. I can see that you're on edge, but for right now, let Roman continue." Agreus said.

"Sorry, sir." Summer answered, turning her head away from Roman.

"To answer your question, Summer, my brother was training his daughter yesterday and Roman did bring it up with me. I decided that father daughter bonding time took a higher precedence than this." Jeremiah said.

Agreus turned to the window, lost in thought. It would not do if Cinder managed to get his hands on one of his most trusted… on the other hand, it would be nice to have a spy in Salem's ranks.

"Boss?" Roman asked.

"Accept their terms." Agreus answered.

"What?" Roman asked dumbly.

"Agree, but ensure they never find out that you are one of the higher-ranking members of the Pyre." Agreus repeated.

"Boss, you know I don't where my Pyre ring except when I'm in this building, right?" Roman asked.

"Actually, I didn't know that. But it is good information for the future." Agreus stated. "If that is all, Roman, you are dismissed."

"Alright. See ya boss man." Roman said as he walked out of the building.

"I don't like him." Summer muttered as Roman made his exit.

"I know, Summer. Now, what has you on edge?" Agreus said.

"Other than the fact you wanted to meet with Taiyang after I returned, I was attacked." Summer responded.

"Attacked?" Jeremiah asked.

"Assassin." Agreus stated. "Same one as last time?"

"Yes." Summer answered. "He seemed surprised that I still lived. Any information on him?"

Agreus turned to the computer and began typing. The sound of a notification was heard. For a brief second, Jeremiah and Summer saw a rare genuine smile of relief on Agreus's face before he schooled his features. The clacking of the keyboard and clicking of the mouse were that could be heard as he opened a file. Agreus turned the monitor around and the man who attacked Summer appeared on screen.

"Tyrian Callows, scorpion faunus with a sadistic streak a mile long." Agreus answered. "It is believed he suffers from a very dangerous psychosis. That being said, he is a trained killer, assassin and wanted by all four kingdoms." Agreus explained.

"That looks like him all right. Any reason why she'd want me dead?" Summer asked.

"She?" Agreus and Jeremiah looked at each other confused.

"Yes, she. When we met again, before he tried to fight me, I heard him say that Lady Salem would not be pleased. He seemed to grow more dangerous at the thought of disappointing her." Summer explained.

"Interesting." Agreus said. "He sounds like he's devoted to her almost to the point of fanaticism. Did the antivenom work?"

"Wonderfully." Summer stated. "It almost sounds like a repeat of the time I met the Pyre."

"Except without me." Agreus said as the memories began to flow.

It was nearly seven years ago by now. Summer was on a simple search and destroy mission. Some rowdy Grimm were causing problems to a small settlement west of Patch. On her way back, she encountered a scorpion faunus with orders to kill her. The fight was going in Summer's favor until the scorpion revealed his stinger and stabbed Summer, injecting the lethal venom into her veins.

She would have died had it not been for Agreus Blackflame. He had been woefully lost. That's what he told her afterwards, and as she got to know him, she realized he hadn't been lying. Agreus Blackflame has a terrible sense of direction. Is it any wonder he never goes anywhere alone? Any entourage that follows him is not a protection detail, it's a navigation detail.

Agreus's semblance allowed him to drive off the assassin. Normally, Tyrian Callows would have stuck around and watched Summer die. Then again, a black fire that erupts and burns nothing, but you would drive off most people… and Summer was still dying to the poison in her system.

Agreus, after driving her off was able to get Summer to a hospital that a weak Summer pointed him too. The hospital staff, with some encouragement, were able to save Summer, and Agreus met Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long, and an adorably young Ruby Rose. Upon finding out that Agreus had saved her mom, Ruby gave Agreus a bullet of impressive caliber. It was a bit of a shock to find a child so young that was enamored with weapons, but he wouldn't question it. Agreus accepted the bullet from the child with a thanks and proceeded to talk with Taiyang and a recovering Summer.

Summer and Taiyang believed they owed Agreus a debt. A debt he wouldn't truly acknowledge but was more than willing to cash in. They made a deal that they would join the Pyre for one year and the debt would be paid. Seven years later, Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose were two of the highest ranked members of the Sanguine Pyre. They were so highly regarded that they were a part of the miniscule group of six that made up Agreus Blackflame's inner circle.

At first, they were resistant to the Pyre. Even now, they still disagreed with some of the Pyre's methods and hires. It took some time, but Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long came to agree with the Pyre's end goal. A peaceful Remnant. Summer was just thankful that Agreus never asked her to be an executioner. She had asked Jeremiah about it once and Jeremiah had said that the Pyre had different people for different jobs. It would be folly for warriors of Taiyang's and Summer's caliber to be used as assassins.

Nevertheless, after being hired, the Pyre focused on developing an antivenom to Tyrian Callows. The MO of the assassin generally involved death by lethal injection.

"Summer?" Agreus said snapping his fingers in front of Summer's face.

Summer snapped back to reality.

"Sorry." She said with a sheepish smile.

"It's no problem." Agreus waved off her apology. "Now, as I said, I believe that Salem is after you because you have silver eyes."

"But the silver eyed warriors are just a myth. We don't have any special powers." Summer said.

"I know that, but we both know that just because something is a legend, that doesn't necessarily mean it's false. If she will order your death because of a legend, then she must believe that it is a fact. As such, we should take the necessary precautions." Agreus said.

"What should we do then?" Summer asked.

"The Pyre has been trying to expand its reach for a good few years now, but we haven't been able to infiltrate the other kingdoms… is Patch an ally?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. We were able to, finally, convince the local government that the Sanguine Pyre isn't the ultimate evil that the other kingdoms promote it as." Summer said.

"Excellent. Then the Pyre can protect its citizens. I wish to establish Patch as a jumping point to the rest of Remnant. I want to put you or someone you trust absolutely to run the branch." Agreus explained.

"So, what does that mean for my family?" Summer asked.

"It means that the Pyre can protect its own with its own coming to the Pyre." Agreus answered.

"Hmm." Summer looked thoughtful.

"Summer, there is one other thing I wanted to talk to you and Taiyang about, but since you're here I can just ask you instead." Agreus said.

"And that is?" Summer asked.

"When the time comes, I would like to induct Yang and Ruby into the Pyre." Agreus said.

"WHAT!? Why?" Summer asked, shocked.

"I don't want you to think that I'm trying to cheat you out of your daughters by offering protection, but I have a very reliable source that says that they are already slated to become Huntresses." Agreus explained.

"I don't want you turning my daughters into assassins." Summer said, an edge creeping into her voice.

"Summer, you know I would never do that. Assassination is a different beast. No, I was hoping to induct them into the Pyre to fulfill a similar role to you and Taiyang and any other Huntsman or Huntress on the payroll." Agreus said. "I will give you three years to decide."

"Why so long?" Summer asked warily.

"I told you, I wish to do it when the time comes." Agreus repeated. "They are still young, underage. I don't wish to even approach them with the opportunity to join until they enter an academy… that is if they continue on their journey to be Huntresses. And like with you and Taiyang staying after your first year, it would be their choice."

"I'll… I'll need to talk with Tai about this." Summer said.

"I understand. If that is all, then you are dismissed." Agreus responded.

Summer nodded and left the room. Jeremiah sat down after she left.

"A lot of information to unload on her." He said.

"I know, but I had no intention of going behind her or her husband's back when it came to their daughters. If they don't want the girls mixed up in the Sanguine Pyre, then we will not go and recruit them. Of course, if the girls want to join the Pyre when they come of age then we shan't turn away." Agreus explained. "Now, what did you want to tell me, Jeremiah."

"A new case has popped up that will seem very familiar." Jeremiah said as he slid a file onto the desk.

Agreus raised an eyebrow as he opened it up. A few pictures of murder victims spilled forth. There appeared to be no correlation between the victims, other than the fact that they weren't children. The only real similarity in the pictures was the states of the bodies. Across each picture, the chest cavity was open, and several organs were missing. Most notable was the heart, surgically removed.

"The Harvested." Agreus muttered.

"Indeed. It would seem that we are dealing with another round of harvester murders." Jeremiah said. "Another copycat perhaps?"

"Maybe, but unlikely." Agreus muttered.

"You can't be suggesting that it's the original killer, brother." Jeremiah said incredulous.

"No, I'm suggesting that it's not a new copycat." Agreus said. "Remember, once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and at three times something's off."

"Do the timelines match up?" Jeremiah asked.

"The second round hit ten years after the first, the third was twenty-five years ago." Agreus answered nonchalantly. "And don't discount the original killer."

"Seriously?" Jeremiah asked.

"Indeed. Remember, Briarheart, immortality is not out of the realm of impossibility. I personally know three immortals, not counting myself." Agreus said. "Anyway, back on topic. DoDs?"

"All within the last week." Jeremiah said as he looked through the file. "Huh, that's new."

"What?" Agreus asked.

"There is a link between each of these victims." Jeremiah answered.

"A link? What sort of link?" Agreus asked as he looked at each of the pictures again.

"I recognize these names." Jeremiah said, "Each of these victims were all members of the Sanguine Pyre."

"A link." Agreus said.

"For once, yes." Jeremiah answered.

"Which means we have a lead." Agreus said.

"The question now is what to do with this information." Jeremiah mused.

"That's easy. Take it to Detective Bensin. He works for the Pyre and is one of the best detectives in Remnant." Agreus answered.

"You sure?" Jeremiah asked.

"Of course I'm sure. Other than when I am tasked with navigating, when am I not sure of my decisions?" Agreus inquired.

"Well… never." Jeremiah answered.

"Exactly. Now if that's all, you are excused." Agreus said. "Also, reschedule any appointments for tomorrow."

"May I ask why?" Jeremiah asked.

"Sure. Going to take Amber and visit the in-laws. She wanted to say hi and hang out with her cousins, aunt and uncle." Agreus said.

"Is that the only reason?" Jeremiah asked.

"No there is more. I have news on my wife." Agreus answered.

"And?" Jeremiah prodded.

"A reliable informant told me that Vermillion Blackflame is still alive." Agreus responded.

"When did you find this out?" Jeremiah asked.

"When I was talking with Summer. I had an email come in. All it showed was a picture dated yesterday that showed my wife alive." Agreus answered.

"Location?" Jeremiah asked.

"Unknown, but that matters little. Vermillion went missing two years ago, and I finally had a lead on her location." Agreus said.

"Had? She was moved?" Jeremiah asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Agreus answered "The picture had text under it. My informant was spotted, and they checked the hideout where she was taken. Everything was cleared out. We still don't know who took her."

"That isn't much." Jeremiah stated.

"Oh, but Vermillion Blackflame is alive!" Agreus said with a stupid smile.

Jeremiah just shrugged and followed Agreus out of the room.

"AND HER FAMILY DESERVES TO KNOW!" Agreus announced.

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	4. CH4: Harvested

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 4: Harvested**

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The Arc family home wasn't a building that one would attribute to a family of great renown. Arcs of generation's past were worshiped as great heroes. Even in modern times, the family was a family of heroes. Joan Arc, matriarch of the family, was a formidable woman. She had gone through childbirth no less than eight times. It does not matter who you are or your opinions on women, that feat demands respect. On top of that, she was a powerful huntress.

The patriarch of the family, Orion Arc, was a formidable warrior in his own right. He had been a huntsman for as long as he has been able. Much of Remnant regarded him as a hero and they weren't wrong. He had fought against the Grimm for nearly forty years. It was much to his delight to see his oldest daughters following in his footsteps. Don't be mistaken, though, Orion Arc was nowhere near as formidable as his wife, Joan.

Of course, the Arc parents wouldn't be parents without their kids. The oldest two were Amethyst and Sapphire, twins at nineteen that everyone knew as Amy and Fire. They attended Beacon academy together, as partners with Fire leading the team. Much to their father's delight, the Sanguine Pyre had an eye on them. Truth be told, the Pyre had an eye on the whole lot of them.

In the middle, at fourteen, were the triplets. Jaune, Saffron and Aurum. Unlike their older siblings, the triplets all had different plans for life. Saffron had dreams of being a lawyer. The law was just something she liked to study. Aurum was quite unsure. She did like books a lot, so many presumed she would pursue a career that dealt with them. She volunteered at the town library quite often. Jaune, however, wished to follow his sisters and become a Huntsman. His father was trying to train him, but it seemed that Jaune was not cut out for this. However, he kept at it for two reasons. The first was Jaune's pure determination to be a Huntsman. The second was that Jaune's uncle said that he saw great potential in Jaune.

The younger twins, at eight years of age, were two polar opposites. Nox and her sister Lux were still young. Nox was a loud, outgoing extrovert who refused to let anyone say no to her friendship… or anything for that matter. Her sister, Lux was a quiet, soft-spoken introvert who's only real friends were her sisters, brother, and cousin. Her best friend was her cousin. In the Arc family, Lux was a major oddity. An old recessive gene in Orion's family seemed to have made an appearance once again. Unlike most Arcs, who are known for blond hair and blue eyes, Lux had dark, almost black hair and blue eyes. The opposing names for the two girls was the result of a bet that Orion lost.

Finally, the youngest, at a mere three years, was the adorable Clara. She had the brightest smile and the lightest blond hair of anyone in the family. She was also the only person of the Arc siblings to truly be wary of. She had the entire family wrapped around her little finger. Not that it really mattered, as she was one of the sweetest little girls alive.

It was after Clara's birth the Joan decided to have no more children. The Arc household was already a noisy place, on a good day. Jaune, Saffron and Aurum generally helped their mother with whatever she needed done, or they watched over the younger children. Amy and Fire were to return to Beacon soon. Their second year was closing in fast, so the girls wished to spend as much time with the family as they could. The only people missing from the family reunion were Orion's sister, her husband and the grandparents.

Joan's parents had a non-existent relationship with her. Really, the reason lay entirely with her husband. For whatever reason that Joan didn't care to know, her parents didn't like the Arc's. Sure, they weren't the best of parents on a good day, but their seeming hatred of the Arc family baffled her. It was even worse after the births of Amethyst and Sapphire. Joan's parents seemed to have decided that Joan was no longer worthy of being called their daughter. As such, she hadn't seen them in nineteen years.

Seeing Orion's parents was actually harder than seeing Joan's. Orion's mother had died giving birth to his younger sister. His father had died many years later, defending their town from a Grimm attack. He passed the mantle of town protector to Orion and he had upheld the role ever since.

Finally, there was their sister and her husband, Vermillion and Agreus Blackflame. Orion's last living connection to his parents and the EFFING LEADER OF THE SANGUINE PYRE! At first, Orion was unsure which was a harder pill to swallow; Agreus being leader of the Sanguine Pyre, or the fact that he was over one and a half centuries older than Vermillion. Probably him being leader of the Sanguine Pyre. After all, Agreus had said that he was an old mind in a young body. Nonetheless, it was an odd pairing. And yet, in the time they had come to know Agreus, they had welcomed him into the family.

It still took a few years, but Agreus had managed to bring the Arc family around to his side. It took a few years, but his reasoning had managed to get through to them. Like some, they didn't agree with everything that went on in the Pyre. However, unlike most, they appeared to fully accept the Pyre, good and bad dealings. In the end, Agreus was naught but the means to an end. A necessary evil for the peace that allows people to sleep at night.

A necessary evil that just rang the doorbell. Love him or hate him, no one could fault Agreus Blackflame for his manners.

Jaune, being the closest to the door, was the one to answer it. Opening the door, Jaune was greeted with the smiling face of his cousin and his deceptively young uncle. The only one missing was their uncle's much older looked brother. Of course, the Arc children knew Uncle Jeremiah Briarheart. None of them called him that, only the youngest who were too young to know better called him anything but Jeremiah or Briarheart. It was an odd quirk of their uncle's brother, but they were sure to respect it. After all, Jeremiah was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom of Vale.

"Jaune? Who's at the door?" Joan called from the kitchen.

"Uncle Agreus, and Amber." Jaune answered loud enough for his mother to hear.

Of course, if one Arc could hear him, the rest most likely could as well.

"AMBER!" the excited voice of Lux called out as she ran past her brother and pulled her cousin into a tight hug.

A hug which Amber was ready to reciprocate. Amber looked at her father, and with a slight nod from him, went off with her introverted cousin.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the oldest fart in the kingdom." A sarcastic voice spoke up.

"FIRE!" A softer yet stern voice scolded. "You shouldn't disrespect Uncle Agreus. ESPECIALLY if you want to join the Pyre after you graduate!"

"Amethyst, Sapphire, always a pleasure." Agreus greeted his nieces.

"Uncle Agreus." Amethyst greeted her uncles with a hug.

"Agreus, how good it is to see you." Joan greeted as she walked into the entry. "What can we do for you this fine day?"

"I come bearing news. Is Orion here?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. Where's Jeremiah?" Joan asked.

"He said he had business to attend to concerning the Pyre. Now, Orion?" Agreus prodded.

"Right, I'll go get him, why don't you take a seat in the dining room. We'll be down in a moment. Can I interest you in a beverage?" Joan asked.

"No, thank you." Agreus answered as he made his way to the Arc family dining room.

The heads of the Sanguine Pyre sat at the table. Joan and Orion entered the room side by side. Joan was beautiful woman with the traditional Arc eyes and hair, though her hair was a darker blond than the average Arc. If Agreus didn't know any better, he would have assumed that Lux got her hair from Joan's family. Orion was a broad-shouldered man with a chiseled jaw, bright blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. Their wedding rings both contained the same blood gem and black fire design that marked them as members of the Sanguine Pyre.

"Agreus." Orion curtly greeted as he sat himself at the head of the table. "I'm told you come bearing news."

"Indeed." Agreus answered. "Both good news and bad news."

"What's the good news." Joan asked.

"Vermillion is alive." Agreus said.

Joan and Orion focused in on Agreus. Orion raised an eyebrow. His stare turned into a glare.

"Agreus. Please don't joke about this. My sister is dead." Orion stated, looking down in sadness.

"No. She only went missing. Last night, during a meeting with some members of the Pyre, I got an email from a member of the Pyre. It was a single email showing an image of Vermillion, alive. She looked a little worse for wear, but it is her and she lives. The Pyre is searching for her as we speak." Agreus responded.

Agreus pulled out his scroll and pulled up the image that he had been sent. He showed it to Orion and Joan.

"That's my sister all right." Orion said, confused. "Any idea where she is now?"

"Unfortunately, no. Our informant was spotted getting this image and the hideout she was being kept in was abandoned by that night." Agreus answered. "But that isn't the only reason I've come. As joyous as that news is, I must sour it. There's been another round of Harvester murders."

"A fourth Doc Harvester?" Joan asked, horrified.

"Probably not." Agreus answered. "It may seem like another copycat, but that seems unlikely."

"Surely you can't be implying that this is the original Doc Harvester." Orion responded incredulous.

"We should be getting an autopsy later, but I have Bensin working on it. I believe that, and I'm sure that he will agree with me, there has not been three copycats of Doc Harvester." Agreus explained.

"Why?" Joan asked.

"Once is fluke, twice is a coincidence and-"

"Thrice shows that there is something going on. We know." Orion interrupted.

"Exactly. The odds of there being three copycats to the same killer are astronomically small. I believe that at most, we have had two copycats. I'd wager that we haven't had more than one." Agreus explained.

"Logical." Orion replied. "Why did you want to tell us that?"

"Because the pattern has finally broken." Agreus answered.

"How so? Are they not killed at the same time? Different methods? What?" Joan asked.

"We have a link." Agreus explained. "We, that is Jeremiah and I, felt it prudent to inform you since this small town is a major ally of the Pyre. Give you advanced warning in case the Harvester comes here."

"What is the link?" Amethyst asked walking in.

"Amy, weren't you supposed to be taking care of the young ones?" Joan asked.

"Jaune, Saffron and Aurum are doing that. Fire is taking a nap. Now what's this I hear about there being another group of harvested?" Amy asked.

"Amethyst." Orion said with warning in his tone.

"Let her be Orion, in fact, it might be best if Fire hears this as well. You are huntresses in training after all." Agreus interrupted.

Amethyst nodded in gratitude.

"Now, as I was saying, there is a link. All seven victims lived in Vale and were members of the Sanguine Pyre." Agreus finished.

"All of them?" Joan asked.

"All of them." Agreus confirmed. "I believe that this Doc Harvester, copycat or no, has some sort of vendetta against the Pyre. Now, this could just be a crazy coincidence, but given the fact that they were openly showing their membership to the Pyre, we find it too unlikely for it to be just random chance."

"Is the Pyre doing anything about it?" Amethyst asked.

"Yes. Like I said, Bensin is looking into the murders. Patrols have increased where the bodies were found. The Pyre is doing what it can given what we know." Agreus answered.

"I suppose that is the best we can ask for at this time." Orion said.

"Do you think we'll have a round of Harvested here?" Joan asked.

"I have no idea." Agreus responded. "We've never had such a solid link between the victims until now. Honestly, we're kinda at a loss on what to do…"

"Until further notice, we'll up patrols. We'll find this killer and my sister." Orion replied with great conviction.

"We will contact you when we learn more." Agreus explained. "Now I must get my daughter."

"Are you leaving already?" Joan asked.

"Yes, my dear, we are." Agreus answered.

"Oh, at least stay for lunch. You know the kids would appreciate it."

Agreus sighed heavily. Of course, Joan would use his daughter as leverage.

"Ok, we'll stay for lunch. But after that, we really must get going." Agreus relented.

Joan smiled and went to the kitchen to make food. Orion just chuckled and went to help his wife. Agreus just sighed and sat back down. Amy got up, presumably to tell her sister of the conversation that had transpired. For the time being Agreus would be content to sit and listen to the joyful laughter of his daughter.

…/…

Amongst the Sanguine Pyre, there were three unspoken rules that everyone followed. No, three unspoken laws that everyone obeyed in spirit and word.

Do not anger Lord Agreus Blackflame.

Do not cross the goals of the Sanguine Pyre.

Finally, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING BAD TO OR ABOUT LADY VERMILLION OR LADY AMBER BLACKFLAME!

The last one was a rule that one person in the Pyre learned the hard way. It only had to be learned by one person, and it only had to be learned once.

The incident happened ten years ago. It had been speculated that the head of the Pyre was seeing someone. A romantic interest of his. This was all but confirmed one fateful day.

A young blond woman with brilliant light blue eyes was seen exiting Lord Blackflame's office. She was quite the sight. Beautiful, armed, intelligent, kind, pregnant and so very out of place. One of the guards, made a comment. A comment that demeaned this woman while also implying that she and him should engage in explicit sexual activities.

The timing Lord Blackflame had at that moment could not have been more perfect… or worse for the guard. He had run out of his office to return the woman's purse… right as the guard made the derogatory and highly inappropriate comment. Lord Briarheart was quick to follow. That day, the Pyre learned that Lady Vermillion Arc had become Lady Vermillion Blackflame and was pregnant with Lord Blackflame's child.

Lord Blackflame handed his wife her handbag and carefully schooled his features. Despite the outward appearance, he was furious, a barely restrained anger that could only be seen if you looked into his crimson eyes. Gazing into the blood red orbs, one would only see pure unbridled fury. Everyone in the room was frozen as Lord Blackflame approached the offending guard. He calmly and quietly asked that the guard, Lord Briarheart and Lady Vermillion follow him to his office.

Only five people know what occurred in that room. Whatever happened scarred the man. He was Lady Vermillion's personal bodyguard for the rest of his life. He was so devoted to them that his last act was taking a bullet for her. Whatever happened in that room made him fiercely loyal to Lord Blackflame's wife.

That guard only ever told one person what had happened. No one spoke of him, or the incident. However, since then, there has been nothing said against Ladies Vermillion or Amber Blackflame.

Adrian Ravencroft shuddered as the memories of what the guard had told him went through his mind. Lord Blackflame was brutal in his punishment of the guard. If he could, Adrian would erase the memories of what he had been told. And while he was an excellent chemist, versed in all manners of chemical substances, drugs, venoms and poisons, he wasn't that good. The best he could do was a chemical concoction that would halt all electrical signals in the brains, thus rendering the victim braindead. He tried to avoid such outcomes if he could.

Right now, he couldn't worry about his traumatic memories. He had a mission from Lord Blackflame himself. One of the assassins was in need of a rather potent poison, and the antivenom he had produced nearly seven years ago needed to be replicated. Apparently, the creature that had stung Huntress Rose had reappeared.

Lord Briarheart had given him another, lesser mission. Assist Detective Bensin if necessary. A fourth round of the Harvested had been discovered. It was a most unusual killing. Eight victims. All killed the same way. All except one. Victim number 4 was killed by lethal injection. All other victims by blood loss, or organ removal. Whatever Doc Harvester did to them, he did it while they were still alive. The fourth victim though, he was a startling departure from the norm.

Lethal injection. At Bensin's request, it was currently Adrian's job to determine what comprised the injection. Whatever the fourth victim had been injected with was composed of three primary ingredients. Two of which were easily identified, them being arsenic and cyanide. The third was proving to be a bit more… interesting. Adrian had never seen anything like it. It was a venom of some kind, but it matched very few records the Pyre had.

The door to his lab flew open with a slam. Jeremiah Briarheart strode into the room.

"Mr. Ravencroft." Briarheart greeted. "How is your work coming along?"

"Excellent, Lord Briarheart. Just having some issues with the analysis of the substance that killed our odd fourth victim." Adrian replied.

"Don't call me Lord." Jeremiah responded automatically. "How about the antivenom and poison my brother requested?"

"Well, I hope this pleases Lord Blackflame, but since the antivenom is relatively simple to produce I sent it to the techs to be mass produced." Adrian answered with a grin handing a vial of clear liquid to him.

"And the poison?" Jeremiah prodded.

"Well, another money-making opportunity for the Pyre." Adrian answered as he handed Jeremiah a second vial filled with a deep crimson liquid. "I calls it Pyre's Blood. A pure dose of 3 milligrams is enough to kill a full grown Alpha Beowolf. 1 milligram should be more than enough for the average human. Diluting this with three-parts water, one-part sugar, one milligram Pyre's Blood, and four-parts whiskey will get you super drunk with one shot. I already sent it and the recipe to our favorite bar owner in Vale."

I do believe Agreus will be most pleased with you results, as always, Mr. Ravencroft." Jeremiah replied.

"You flatter me, Lord Briarheart." Adrian thanked Jeremiah with a cheeky smile.

"Don't call me Lord." Jeremiah answered automatically. "Anyway, I brought the venom samples you requested."

"Thank you, sir." Adrian said as he took the vials that Jeremiah produced. "These should be most helpful with the case."

Adrian turned to one of the machines and inserted each of the vials for analysis. It was his hope that one of these vials would indicate what the particular venom used in number four's injection. Jeremiah waited while the machine did its work. Five minutes passed and the results showed up on the computer.

"Hmm." Adrian was confused. "None of these venoms match our mysterious third compound used in the lethal injection of our fourth victim."

"And that's a problem?" Jeremiah asked.

"Very much so. Since receiving the injection, I was able to easily identify the first two compounds, which are lethal enough on their own. It's this third compound that simultaneously infuriates and intrigues me. I have tested nearly two hundred known venoms, poisons, and drugs to find a match. These five I asked be retrieved are incredibly rare and are not in the Pyre's records… until today. But they still aren't a match." Adrian explained as he removed the vials from the analyzer.

"If I may, what are these vials?" Jeremiah asked as he inspected one of the liquids.

"We have Taijitu venom, Deathstalker venom, a sample of venom from a spider faunus, an incredibly rare plutonium poison, and the highly illegal, nearly unfindable poison dust." Adrian listed.

"Poison dust?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yep. One of the huntsmen… uh, what's his name?" Adrian closed his eyes and muttered to himself to remember. "blond guy, tattooed arm…"

"Taiyang." Jeremiah filled in.

"Yes, Taiyang. He knows a rather accomplished dust alchemist that created it a couple decades ago." Adrian explained. "I figured our mysterious odd victim out might have been killed by that. But he wasn't. I've kinda hit a wall here. The only thing left that I can possibly think of is…"

"Mr. Ravencroft?" Briarheart inquired.

"It could be… if such a thing exists…" Adrian mumbled to himself as he began rapidly typing on his computer.

"Mr. Ravencroft?" Briarheart repeated.

"Lord Briarheart, in your many years, have you or Lord Blackflame ever met a person with a semblance that gave them the ability to produce poisons or venoms?" Adrian asked.

Jeremiah hesitated and thought about it. Adrian waited for an answered. After a few minutes of thought, Jeremiah answered.

"Possibly. It was relatively recent, about twenty years ago now. A young woman, she wanted to join the Pyre. Wanted to be an assassin. She claimed her semblance was the ability to create any venom or poison she so wished. Neither of us really believed her." Jeremiah answered.

"Why not?" Adrian asked.

"She didn't have her aura unlocked. But we haven't seen her since my brother rejected her." Jeremiah finished explaining.

"If it's not too much to ask, why was she rejected?" Adrian asked.

"She was too… chaotic. That's how Agreus put it. She wished to be an assassin but had none of the subtlety necessary for such a mission. She just seemed too wild, too… broken. We had a psyche analysis performed on her and her mental state was particularly fragile. She stormed out of the building when she was rejected, have neither seen nor heard from her since." Jeremiah answered.

"Do you remember her name?" Adrian asked.

"Yes, she called herself Eris. No last name." Jeremiah answered.

"Eris?" Adrian pondered. "I've heard that name before."

"You have?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yeah. I'll have to get back to you on that one though, I have an old friend who might help me remember. We used to do everything together." Adrian trailed off again.

"Well, I must be off. Inform us when you have a lead." Jeremiah said as he turned to the door.

"Lord Briarheart, before you go, I do have one more thing to tell you." Adrian called after him.

Jeremiah paused and turned around. A single eyebrow raised in question.

"Concerning the autopsy on our mismatched victim. There are some rather interesting differences between him and the rest. Detective Bensin asked me to inform you." Adrian answered.

"Other than the lethal injection?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes. His organs were removed by a very imprecise hand." Adrian said.

"Explain." Jeremiah responded.

"All Harvested in the past have been killed by blood loss or organ removal. The only thing we were able to conclude was that the killed must be surgically trained as the organs removed were all cut with a trained eye. And the blood was strategically leaked from the victim through major arteries and veins. Our fourth victim's organ were removed, yes but they look to be quite amateurly removed. And the cuts for blood loss are more random than in past victims." Adrian explained.

"Odd…" Jeremiah answered.

"There is one more thing. Our fourth victim was killed at the exact same time as victim three." Adrian continued.

"Aren't they all killed at the same time?" Jeremiah asked.

"Well, technically no. There is usually a few minutes between deaths. With the technology we have, we can narrow time of death down to a range of a few minutes. Victim three and victim four were both determined to have been killed between 3:35 and 3:40 am last Tuesday." Adrian said.

"Ok…" Jeremiah gestured for Adrian to continued.

"It's not possible for that to happen since both bodies were found at the same time, on opposite ends of the city. Victim three was found by the airfield, victim four was found at the docks." Adrian finished.

"Could they not have been dragged or placed there?" Briarheart asked.

"It is a possibility, as victim three had rather scuffed heals on his shoes, indicating he had been dragged. Victim four didn't. Victim four was larger than victim three and it appeared as if the operation occurred in the warehouse victim four was found in." Adrian explained.

"And that means?" Jeremiah prodded.

"According to Detective Bensin, we have at least two active Doc Harvesters. A professional and an amateur."

* * *

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	5. CH5: Reflections

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 5: Reflections**

* * *

The night was quiet. Not that Jefferson was going to complain. Quiet nights meant easy nights. Most nights were like that. Then again, there really wasn't anything worth stealing in this museum. Or maybe there was? Jefferson didn't know. All he knew was that he was in charge of patrolling the south corridor and the central atrium. There were three other guards. One for each cardinal corridor. They would commonly meet in the central atrium on their patrols.

It wasn't exactly the worst job on Remnant, but neither was it the greatest. It was really just boring. He'd been at his patrol for five hours already. Dawn was still a good few hours off. It was just one after all.

He walked into the central atrium. Stevens and Janice were sitting down. No doubt lazing off as they usually did. The only other reliable guard in the museum was Smith. If asked, Jefferson would say that he was the best, Stevens and Janice were only good for keeping employment records for the museum high and Smith was hot. She was also a very kind woman.

A shrill scream and a crash echoed from the east corridor. All three guards turned toward the corridor from which Smith came running. The light of the moon above showed them a rather haggard looking security guard. She was quite disheveled and looked quite fearful. As soon as she saw them, she ran to them.

"We have a break in!" She practically screamed when she reached them.

Jefferson immediately pulled his gun and took cover, aiming his gun down the corridor that Smith had just come from. Stevens and Janice, in a rare act of actually doing their jobs, both pulled weapons as well. Smith ducked behind a trash can and aimed.

A silhouette could be seen moving in the darkness. Smith didn't hesitate and opened fire. In her panicked state, most of the bullets went wild. They did hear a strange thing. A figure walked into the atrium, his left arm over his face.

"Now that wasn't very nice." He spoke in a suave, yet sinister voice with a slight rasp. "That isn't how you should treat your visitors."

The man lowered his arm. Covering his face was an old plague doctor's mask. He wore an impeccably kept black robe over everything else. There a few small exceptions. There were a few holes along his left arm. Out of which light blue crystals seemed to grow. The descriptions were spot on. They were facing off against Doc Harvester.

"SHOOT HIM!" Smith commanded.

The other guards opened fire and the figure he raised his left arm and dove out of the way. The guards tried to keep aim at him, but in the dim light it was quite hard. When he was out of sight, they stopped firing.

"Why do you fight? Surely you realize this is futile?" The Harvester's voice called out.

The guards had circled up and were looking everywhere for their enemy.

"It is sad, I don't usually use one of these, but tonight is a very special exception." Harvester's voice said.

A gun shot rang out from behind a display near the north corridor. Half a second later, Smith cried out in pain as she went down.

"SMITH!" Jefferson cried out in a panic as he dropped to her side to give her first aid.

The bullet had hit her in the stomach, missing most of her major organs. Stevens made his way from cover to cover, slowly inching towards the north corridor. Janice stood over Jefferson and Smith, watching for the insane serial killer.

"GOT YOU NOW, YOU BASTARD!" Stevens yelled as he opened fire on the plague doctor.

Six bullets later, and Stevens shined his light on the body he hit. He saw he emptied his clip into one of the display mannequins. A cold blade pressed against his throat, and with a spurt of blood, sliced through it. There was no pain, nor was there any noise. In his last seconds alive, Stevens paled as he realized what had happened.

"That wasn't very nice." Harvester scolded as Steven's fell to the ground, dead.

Harvester picked up the bleeding body and hoisted it over his shoulder. He walked back into the atrium where the two alive guards and third dying guard were panicking. They would serve a much grander purpose.

With a small burst of wind dust, he threw the guard toward them. His body hit the ground with a sickening splat. Janice screamed in terror and fired two shots at it. Jefferson didn't really react; he was too focused on keeping Smith alive.

"Don't worry." The calm voice of Doc Harvester said from behind them. "Will hurt but a little."

Janice wasn't given a chance to scream. There was no sound as the blade slit her throat and she fell to the ground. She held her hands to her throat as her precious life flowed through her fingers. Jefferson could only watch in horror as his partners were picked off one by one. He gulped as he realized he had no chance of surviving the night.

"Why?" Jefferson muttered.

"Don't take it personally." Harvester said as he stood over Jefferson and a gasping Smith. "Science waits for no man."

Harvester raised his gun and fired into Smith's head. The bullet struck right between the eyes and she stopped moving.

"Besides, if you're lucky. She'll be better than she was before." Harvester continued as he pulled a jagged red and yellow crystal. "A perfect reflection of what she once was."

Doc Harvester deftly kicked Jefferson's pistol away, thus leaving him defenseless. He looked up into the black voids that were Harvester's eyes, the mask thoroughly shrouding his face. Despite that, they almost seemed calming. He looked down at the dust crystal in Doc Harvester's hand. It looked like a crystalized flame.

"From the ashes you will rise." Harvester whispered, his fist closing around the crystal. "A glorious phoenix, greater than you were before."

Jefferson could only stare as Doc Harvester slammed the crystal into his shoulder. The jagged edges of the crystal hooking into his flesh. The black mask no longer exuding a calming presence. All Jefferson felt was fear, and he couldn't even see the face of his killer. He did feel a pulse of aura slam into him.

"This however, will be quite painful as the crystal bleeds you dry to fuel the flames." Doc Harvester said as he walked backwards out of the atrium, back into the darkness of the museum.

The crystal began heating up. Small tongues of flame began to flow from the crystal. One lashed out and burned the floor. Another ignited Smith's body. The fire was spreading uncontrollably. A veritable whirlwind of flame soon engulfed the atrium. The building was illuminated by the bright fires of the crystal.

Jefferson couldn't focus on that though. All he felt was pain. The excruciating burning of his being as it was burned away. He tried to pull the crystal from his shoulder, but it was no use. The pain was too much. He could do nothing but scream as the fires of the crystal burned his life away.

The lashes of fire burned away much of the museum. The automated fire alarms went off as it burned hotter and higher. It might have been a slight problem when the atrium's roof caved in and the fire lit up the night sky. No matter, Harvester watched as his work literally went up in flames. It would take no more than five minutes for the fires to work, and his robe had been specially designed to protect him from the Phoenix.

After two minutes, the fires began to crystalize the atrium. Exhibits turning into unbound dust crystals. It was magnificent. The fire ended about three minutes later. Harvester pulled the sleeve back on his right arm and checked his watch. Noting the time, he gave a quick shrill whistle. Augustus flew into the atrium.

"Response teams will be here in about two minutes. Delay them by five." Harvester commanded the construct.

The construct flew off to perform the duty that Julius had given it. Julius however began his quick inspection of the crime scene. He pulled out a small notepad and took notes of his observations. Much of the room had changed to the same unbound light blue crystals that comprised parts of his body. It was disappointing to see that about thirty percent of the atrium remained unchanged.

Clambering over one of the fallen beams from the ceiling, Julius was able to see the bodies of the human test subjects. One of the bodies, the body of the first man he killed, was imperfect. Parts of his flesh had turned but much of it had not. Sad, but he deserved his fate. The two women had completely crystallized. As he said, if they were lucky, they would come out better than before. Perfect reflections of what they had been. He knelt down to inspect the one he had shot twice.

"No sign of bullet wounds or the bullets." The doctor noted. "A perfect reflection."

No blood could be seen either, just the crystal formations from the Phoenix's Reflection. The only thing that might be considered odd was the formation under the second woman. Blood had leaked from her throat and flowed quite a ways. It all crystallized, but not all of the floor under it had. Unmarred floor could be seen through the translucent blue crystal. Harvester made a special note of that.

He turned to his catalyst. The young man he had stuck the Phoenix' Reflection in. He too had fully changed. His body in a position of pain and his face contorted in an expression of pure unadulterated terror. The details had been preserved quite flawlessly. The fire itself had not crystallized but much of what touched it had.

"Getting closer." Harvester muttered as he jotted down another note.

The sound of sirens drew his attention. He glanced at his watch and smirked. Augustus had delayed them by six minutes, but his time was up. He quickly closed his notepad and pocketed both it and the pen. Then he turned to the crystallized body of his catalyst.

"Can't have them finding the Phoenix." he muttered.

Doc Harvester removed the glove on his left hand. He positioned the crystalline arm right where the shoulder of his catalyst was. The still orange crystal stood out amongst the light blue. The doctor slammed his hand into the shoulder of the crystalline statue and grabbed the Phoenix's Reflection. With a mighty yank, the crystal was pulled free from the rock surrounding it. He pocketed the crystal. Turning back to the statue with a rather not-so-inconspicuous hole in its upper chest, Doc Harvester decided to smash the construct completely. A sad fate for a perfect reflection, but no evidence of the Phoenix must be left. He reared his arm back, and with the help of his semblance, slammed it into the statue of Jefferson. The crystal shattered, pieces flying back from the semblance enhanced force.

With that, Doc Harvester made his exit. He smiled as he climbed out onto the roof. The response teams failed to see him as he left. A glint off to his right drew his attention. Looking at one of the buildings across the street, Doc Harvester glared. Nothing appeared. He shrugged and continued on his way.

The night was good. This day three more people had transcended their humanity.

This night there were two more perfect reflections in Remnant.

…/…

Agreus got up with a sigh. Sadly, sleepless nights weren't all that uncommon for him. The day to day running of the Pyre, Vale, the nightmare that was dealing with another round of Harvester murders. Honestly, the stress was just getting to him. He sighed and got out of bed. He wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight.

Knowing this, the leader of the Sanguine Pyre dressed himself for a day that still had a good couple of hours before the sun rose. Checking the time showed him that it was three am. Better than some nights. There were some of his restless nights where he got maybe a good half an hour of sleep. Tonight, he had at least gotten two hours. He didn't have insomnia. He just lacked sleep.

Very rarely did one make a comment about it. He had quite adept at hiding his tiredness. The past decade or so had taught him that it was a good skill to have, even if it wasn't the healthiest of habits. It only took him a few minutes to be ready for the day… despite the fact that it was three in the morning.

He made his way down to his office. No one was up yet, as was to be expected. He opened the curtains behind his desk and sat down. Just watching his city. It was quite peaceful. The moon and stars shining overhead as the kingdom slumbered below. The bright lights of the night shone brightly in the sky.

It was a picture of peace. A picture of tranquility. It was nothing more than a facade. A front. The city had a problem. Another round of Harvester murders was the perfect breeding ground for fear. Ozpin and his silly group of guardians seemed content to let their enemies move forward with their plans. And now, according to the chemist, there was a high likelihood of there being another Harvester killer.

Agreus sighed in frustration. At least things weren't all bad. Polls showed that Darius Alister Trent, the newest charismatic, kindhearted politician with a heart of gold, had captured the hearts and minds of the people. He was a shoe in for the council. He was quite the late entry, considering the election was in three months, and people had accused him of cheating, bribery, extortion and other illegal activities. Of course, none of it could be proven. Trent's record was squeaky clean, he cleaned up well.

Agreus smirked as the thoughts of one of his most loyal pawns graduated to the rank of rook. A very powerful play indeed. He was performing well beyond what Agreus had expected from the assassin. Then again, Jeremiah did tell him that Trent was the best. He just had a tendency to talk too much.

The head's gaze wandered over the city. An ominous orange glow from the commercial district. Agreus got up and walked toward the window. It was difficult to tell, but it looked to be a fire. A dust fueled fire. Oh, the curse of not having a pair of binoculars, or a zoom and enhance function on his eyes.

A few seconds of watching the presumed fire was all it took to confirm his suspicions. It was kind of hard to mistake a column of fire whirling into the sky. A veritable tornado of fire. It was massive.

It looked to be originating from the Vale Museum of Huntsmen and Huntresses. The emergency forces would probably already be on their way, but the fire was too odd. It took naught but a couple minutes for the fire whirl to dissipate. Thirty seconds later, he heard a scroll buzzing. The His secretary's scroll. He left his office to find the ringing scroll. His secretary had left it at her desk, just outside his office. The caller ID said Bensin. Agreus picked it up and answered.

"Hello?" Agreus asked.

"Yeah, hi, hello." Bensin's gruff voice came through the speaker. "I don't have much time. We've cordoned off the Huntsmen museum, but Lord Blackflame is going to want to know about this. Send someone down, I don't quite know how to explain what I'm looking at."

Bensin didn't wait for a response as he just hung up. Agreus lowered the scroll. It was an odd call. Then again, Bensin was rather known for quick calls like that. He had yet to actually speak to Agreus personally, but he certainly knew who paid him.

With nothing better to do, Agreus decided that he would check out the museum. See what happened for himself. He made his way to the air docks of Beacon. They were the quickest way from Beacon cliffs into the city, after all. It wasn't long before a bullhead running the night shift arrived to take him down.

The blaring of sirens grew louder as Agreus closed in on the museum. When he was a few blocks away, he began to notice the oddities. Several buildings had black scorch marks on them, as if they had been torched. But the fire had looked relatively stationary. Within a block of the museum was when the oddities really stood out. Most of the damage seemed to be relegated to the atrium. And what a sight the damage was.

Much of the center of the building looked to be… crystalized. Crystal pockmarked the walls. All in all, it was the weirdest arson case he had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

"Bensin, this the guy you waitin' on?" One of the cops called out.

Bensin exited the building and looked Agreus up and down. Agreus watched the detective with a raised eyebrow. He was a middle-aged man at about 50. He wore an old brown trench coat and had a rather well trimmed beard. His eyes were a dull brown, and he reeked of cigar smoke. Then again, that might be more to the fact that he had a lit cigar in his mouth.

"Yeah, he's the guy." Bensin answered when he spotted Agreus's Pyre ring on the zipper of his jacket. "Come on. Let's see if you can tell me more than what these bozos can."

"Hey!" came the indignant shout of one of the officers.

Agreus followed Bensin inside. He quietly noted that Bensin was about half a foot shorter than he was.

"Name and rank?" Bensin asked.

"Excuse me?" Agreus responded.

"You deaf son? I want to know who you are in the Pyre." Bensin repeated with a huff of frustration.

"Oh, well you only had to ask. Agreus Blackflame, head of the Pyre." Agreus answered.

"Ha. You think your funny kid?" Bensin asked. "Now tell me who you really are before I report you to Lord Blackflame."

"Joe, I'm not kidding. I am Agreus Blackflame." Agreus repeated with a snap of his fingers. "And you would do well to remember that."

Bensin's eyes widened a little at the sight of the black fire twirling off Agreus's hand. Agreus snapped his fingers again and the fire vanished.

"My apologies Lord Blackflame. I didn't know that you were up at such an early hour." Bensin hastily apologized.

"Enough. Tell me what we know and perhaps we can move on from this slight against me." Agreus responded.

"Of course, sir." Bensin gulped as he began listing off the facts. "We believe the fire was caused by arson. No clue where the crystal came from. No cops or firefighters have stepped into the atrium. The rest of the building is relatively undamaged. We know there must have been an intruder. The glass casing on one of the exhibits was broken. One of the mannequins has six shots in its chest. Some blood spatter in the halls, but no sign of three of the four guards who worked here."

"How long did it take to response teams reach the museum after the alarms went off?" Agreus asked.

"Almost eleven minutes sir." Bensin began.

"Why? It shouldn't have taken longer than five." Agreus inquired.

"They were stopped." Bensin said.

"By?" Agreus prodded.

"You wouldn't believe me." Bensin muttered.

"Try me, detective Bensin." Agreus said.

"Well… they said they were stopped by a phoenix…" Bensin trailed off.

Agreus turned to the detective, an eyebrow raised. "A phoenix?"

"What other bird do you know that is wreathed in flame?" Bensin questioned.

"Interesting." Agreus muttered to himself as they stepped into the partially, blue crystalized atrium.

What was crystal was solid and flawless. It was easy to recognize some of the exhibits that once stood in the atrium. Even engravings on the bronze plates that survived were preserved in crystal. Other things were a bit more difficult. In the middle of the room, behind some beams that had fallen from the ceiling, were three more interesting sights. Agreus moved closer to them. Two areas where the crystal had risen. The only places where the crystal wasn't flush with the walls or floor were the exhibits, but there was no exhibit where these ones were. There was also an odd bit where the crystal seemed to flow over the floor.

The final interesting sight was the shattered crystal. No other sections of the crystal were even cracked. Agreus knelt next to the scattered rubble and picked up a large chunk of it. It was relatively unremarkable, yet it felt so much like dust, that it was wholly remarkable. On a whim, Agreus sent a pulse of aura through the crystal. It lit up a brilliant blue color.

"What's that?" Bensin asked as he made his way over to Agreus.

"Dust." Agreus answered. "Unbound dust, it has no element. A very rare sight that can only be determined by the effect aura has on it. It only glows blue. And yet…"

"This large room has been turned into unbound dust." Bensin finished.

"Partially, and at least one of our guards, it would seem." Agreus stated as he handed a crystal to Bensin.

Bensin inspected the crystal. It was difficult to tell at first, but after a few seconds of inspection, Bensin saw indentations that looked like a security badge. A badge with a name engraved on it. Jefferson.

"What could have done this?" Bensin asked as he looked back to Agreus.

"That, my good man, is the million-lien question." Agreus answered. "Short answer, I have no idea. Neither I nor the Pyre has ever experienced a phenomena such as this before."

"Bensin?" An officer approached the detective. "We found bullets."

The detective followed the officer elsewhere in the atrium. Agreus continued to look at the crystal. They were human. Two women, every detail flawless preserved. Then even had the badges. On cursory glance, they might not be noticed, but upon closer inspection it was quite obvious. However, it only led to more questions.

"This might interest you." Bensin said as he returned to Agreus.

"What?" Agreus asked standing up.

"Six bullets were found inside one of the mannequins. Specifically, a mannequin dressed as a plague doctor." Bensin answered.

"Hmm. I found the other two guards. Honestly, I don't see how you missed them." Agreus said pointing at the crystalized guards. "You said there were four guards?"

"Yes, our fourth victim… he was found only partially crystallized." Bensin answered.

"Where is he?" Agreus asked.

"Follow me." Bensin said as he left the partially crystallized atrium.

The two walked outside to a body bag with a man on it. Parts of him reflected blue in the dawn light. As they got closer, Agreus got a better view of the guard. Parts of him had been changed into the same unbound dust as the museum. Half his head, his right hand, parts of his sternum, and various other patches around the body. Oddly enough, it was nowhere near perfect. Through the crystal, they could see bones, blood, and sometimes nerves. The transformation was very incomplete.

"3 unique cases." Agreus muttered as he inspected the partially changed body.

He tried to bend the crystal at the elbow. It didn't move. Easy to see why he died then.

"Bensin, we've gotten all the evidence we probably can." An officer called.

"Excellent, I want you to and four other officers to scour a seven-block radius. Find some witnesses. I want to be able to write a screenplay from what you learn. Question everyone, civilians, guards, first responders, anyone who might have seen anything." Bensin ordered.

"Yes sir." The officer responded and took off.

"Bensin, I'm going to need a sample from this man, where crystal meets flesh." Agreus spoke up.

"Sir?" Bensin asked.

"One of the huntsmen under my employ knows an expert dust alchemist. He might be able to shed more light on the situation. I'll also need a sample from one of the guards and the walls." Agreus continued.

"If it's not too much to ask, may I know why, sir?" Bensin asked.

"Yeah. Unbound dust does not form naturally in the wild. It can only be formed through other methods, such as alchemy, and even then, it is incredibly rare. Before now, I've never seen more than 5 grams of the stuff." Agreus explained. "Also, put our broken guard back together. I want to know what makes him so special."

"Officer!" Bensin called to a passing officer.

"Yes sir?" the young woman replied.

"Gather a few others and start sweeping up the broken guard. I want him put back together by the end of the week. Extract a small sample of the crystal from the walls and from the unshattered guards. Got that?" Bensin said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" The woman asked.

"I don't know, get the best jigsaw puzzlers to work on it. I just want it done. If it helps, pulse it with aura, the crystal lights up. Might accentuate the shadows to make fitting the pieces back together easier." Bensin called back.

"Why sir?" the young officer asked.

"Orders from on high, now do your job!" Bensin barked. "Also, bring us a scalpel!"

Agreus chuckled as the officer ran off.

"Rather insubordinate, isn't she?" Agreus asked.

"Not just her. Many of them ask too many questions… but it helps that they are at least competent at their jobs. Vale does hold the record for the lowest crime rates in Remnant." Bensin said, rather proudly.

"It helps that the Pyre pays the gangs to leave the civilians, government and other innocents out of their dealings." Agreus muttered.

"What was that, sir?" Bensin asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about Bensin." Agreus said as the office returned with a scalpel. "Thank you, madam."

Agreus immediately went to work cutting through the flesh of the dead guard. The scalpel sliced right through; however, it wouldn't cut through the unbound dust.

"You got a dagger?" Agreus asked.

Bensin didn't say anything as he unsheathed and handed over a dagger from his belt. Agreus wasted no time in chipping away at the crystal around the cut flesh. In minutes, he had a sizable chunk of crystal and flesh torn away from the guards' shoulder.

"That should do." Agreus said as he bagged and pocketed the chunk.

"That was my favorite knife…" Bensin said as Agreus handed him the now dulled blade.

An officer came up to them with a couple bags. They both had labels. One said wall, the other said guard. Agreus took the bags with a nod.

"What are you going to do now?" Bensin asked.

"I'm going to return to Blackflame Manor. Send these off to a dust alchemist." Agreus responded. "I want updates as you work on this case."

"We don't have much to go off of. If anything, inviting you here has only asked more questions than answered." Bensin said.

"I know." Agreus replied. "And we aren't going to get anywhere further here. Find out what any witnesses know, report it to me. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning."

"Did you see anything, sir?" Bensin asked.

"Yeah, I saw a column. A column of flame rising into the night sky. You might want to expand your search radius." Agreus responded after a second.

"Brilliant." groused Bensin.

"Chin up, detective." Agreus said as he began to walk away. "Isn't this what you live for?"

"Not really." Bensin said.

Agreus just laughed as he continued walking through the city.

* * *

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	6. CH6: Authority

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 6: Authority**

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It was a lovely day. The sun was shining, new students were arriving, and the coffee was amazing. Man, he loved his coffee. Black, white, bitter, sweet, mocha, latte, cappuccino, etc. Granted, he preferred the stronger, more bitter side of coffee, but Ozpin loved his coffee. He took a sip as he stood up and looked out over the world he helped protect.

Vale was bustling. Students could be seen exiting the bullhead landing craft. It was nice, yet it felt so… wrong. Blackflame Manor stared proudly out over the city. Many thought it was a museum more than anything else. A testament to the height of the Blackflame family. Only a precious few outside knew the truth. A precious few like himself, Glynda Goodwitch, Qrow Branwen, and General James Ironwood. They knew the truth about the Sanguine Pyre… or at least of the building that hosted them.

Qrow was the only one who was ever able to really share knowledge of the inside. The ability to shapeshift into a crow certainly helped. Especially since birds of the Corvidae family were quite common throughout the kingdom. Crows, ravens, rooks, jays and magpies were a common sight amongst the skies. Unfortunately, that also included the giant Nevermores. Granted, they were far fewer in number, and unlike most Grimm, preferred a pretty solitary lifestyle in their nests. That still didn't change the fact that Nevermores preferred nesting in Vale over every other kingdom on Remnant.

However, despite Qrow's unique ability, (and the abundance of Corvidae family birds) Ozpin knew very little of what the Sanguine Pyre was actually doing. Qrow had actually been less helpful in the previous months though. He was currently acting as the hidden bodyguard of the young Fall Maiden, Amber. Ozpin knew that Qrow could be well served as an informant on the Pyre but protecting the Fall Maiden was a more important task. Especially considering how potent a wanderlust the young girl had. She was only 14 for goodness sake, and she had little control over her powers. Though, she had been learning, so that was a promising sign.

Ozpin smiled as he took another drink of his coffee. He had gone with straight black today. Good lord he loved his coffee.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and for Ozpin, that end was signified by the dinging of the elevator to his office. He had no appointments scheduled for today, and Glynda was busy getting prospective students set up for his opening speech then initiation. Ozpin turned around to greet his visitor, only for his normally stoic face to fall into a slight frown.

Exiting from the elevator was none other than his biggest regret, Agreus Blackflame. The leader of the Sanguine Pyre stood there, clad in a pair of black slacks, blood red dress shoes, and a red polo. The only thing conspicuously missing from his usual getup was a jacket. Then again, Vale was experiencing an uncharacteristically warm spring season this year. A blood diamond shone proudly on his left hand, while his gold wedding band glinted on his right. He still had the fang of a Taijitu pierced through his ear. A grisly sordid reminder of events that neither of them would soon forget.

Ozpin sighed as he sat down. This was not how he wanted his day to start. Fortunately, he still had his coffee. He went to take a sip, only to sigh again as he realized his cup was empty. And he didn't have a pot in his office. Were it not for the fact that Glynda had specifically forbidden that appliance in his office, Ozpin could probably have depleted Vale's supply of the precious bean in a week? Dang, he loved coffee.

"Mr. Blackflame." Ozpin greeted.

"Ozpin." Agreus returned with a rather forced smile. "Haven't I asked you not to call me that?"

"I do believe you have, but how I'm an old man, and my memory isn't what it used to be." Ozpin replied.

"You're certainly old, I'll give you that. But cut the crap, Oz. You and I both know that you have a better memory than most. Or has taking care of the messes of children finally addled your aged mind?" Agreus answered, his grin dropping from his face.

"Fortunately for Remnant, no." Ozpin said. "Now please, Mr. Blackflame, I am a busy man you know. I assume you didn't come here to face me in a battle of wits?" Ozpin prodded.

"No, I've learned that you don't fight a battle of wits against a man whose only half armed, 'tis not as fun." Agreus responded with a smug smile. "Of course, you are correct. I did not come to face you. I'm actually here to tell you about a grave issue."

"An issue of grave importance? I'm flattered, but I thought I was worth nothing more to you than Grimm from whose mouth you pulled that fang." Ozpin said gesturing to the Agreus's ear. "Is it not enough to rob me of my school by making it into your personal recruitment office? Must you also add insult to that injury?"

"As much fun as that sounds, no." Agreus replied as he took a seat across from Ozpin's desk and swung his feet onto it. "I truly am here to tell you have a problem facing Vale. I'm sure you and your group of "guardians" might actually be able to help the Pyre."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly. The headmaster steepled his fingers and leaned forward. It's not every day one of the most powerful men on Remnant comes begging for help.

"And why should I help you?" Ozpin asked.

"You don't even know what the problem is." Agreus stated. "And helping me will help the people of Vale."

"I thought you didn't care about them." Ozpin responded.

"That is a misconception. Believe it or not, Oz, I do care about the people under my organization. I care about the people I employ, the first responders and the innocents." Agreus said.

"You could've fooled me, Agreus. I know you've got several gangs and criminals of Vale in your pocket." Ozpin said.

"They are all on a tight leash. Besides, they should be the least of your concerns. And you don't have to believe me. I really am looking for my people though." Agreus said.

"Fine." Ozpin sighed. "What was the issue you wanted to bring up with me?"

"Two things. First, did you hear about the Vale Museum of Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Agreus asked.

"No." Ozpin said.

Agreus nodded to himself and pulled out a scroll. He rapidly flicked through tabs and browsers until he came to what he wanted.

"Watch this." Agreus said as he put the scroll in front of the headmaster.

"_-ight, the Vale Museum of Huntsmen and Huntresses was attacked. Reports say that four guards are dead, but there are no other casualties. No one can really say what it was that destroyed the museum. Witnesses and first responders say that it was a fire, but only the central atrium of the building was even damaged. Fire also fails to explain the blue crystal that now makes up about half of the atrium."_

The news broadcast panned from the reporter to the blue crystalized building behind her. Ozpin's eyes noticeably widened at the sight. The broadcast continued with some witness interviews. Ozpin handed the scroll back to Agreus.

"That was dust." Ozpin stated.

"Unbound dust." Agreus confirmed. "Whatever or whoever it was to attack the museum last night has developed a method of creating unbound dust."

"And the Pyre has no idea?" Ozpin asked.

"No one does, yet." Agreus answered. "I took some samples and sent them to a dust alchemist one of my Huntsmen knows, but I'm not holding out hope."

"And you think I can help?" Ozpin asked.

"Well, yes. Ozpin, I control pretty much everything in Vale. You however, have influence that reaches beyond. And you are recognized as one of the foremost experts on dust. Unbound dust does not occur naturally." Agreus stated.

"Or unnaturally in such quantities." Ozpin continued.

"I fear that this isn't the end, but the evidence doesn't lead anywhere." Agreus explained.

"That is interesting. And the other issue?" Ozpin prodded.

"We've had another round of Harvester murders." Agreus said.

"Great." Ozpin replied as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Again?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Agreus confirmed. "We have anomalies this time though. A link and an addition."

Ozpin stared pointedly at Agreus. "A link?"

"Yes. eight victims, all members of the Sanguine Pyre." Agreus said.

"It could be worse." Ozpin said.

"Ozpin, I am here for a ceasefire. I hate you and I know you hate me. We are trying to keep this on the down low as much as possible to avoid inciting mass panic. The least you could do is try to be accommodating." Agreus exclaimed.

"I don't hate you." Ozpin said.

"Oh yes you do. You've just deluded yourself into thinking otherwise." Agreus growled. "But that's beside the point. We are dealing with more than one Harvester killer this time."

The atmosphere grew tense. Ozpin could see that Agreus was close to snapping. He was quite confrontational when he was frustrated. Though, Ozpin was doing much to placate the man in front of him, who was growing increasingly irate as the seconds ticked on.

"You know what, forget it." Agreus snapped before getting up to leave. "I came here looking for peace, a truce, but you don't seem to want it. Can't look past the Pyre can you Oz?"

"Agreus, why do you hate me so?" Ozpin asked as Agreus called the elevator, conveniently ignoring Agreus's accusation.

Agreus turned his head sideways, just to glance back at the headmaster.

"You know why, Oz. Oh wait, you don't. You're just 'an old man whose memory isn't what it used to be'. Let me remind you." Agreus said as he tapped the fang in his ear. "You cost me a woman who was so close to me, that I considered her my sister. You cost me one of the only friends I have ever had. You cost me a member of my family."

The elevator arrived. Agreus stepped in and turned to Ozpin. He held the doors open for a second to speak.

"One more thing before I leave. I have allowed you to keep control of the school. However, as of this semester, I am overriding your authority. Starting this semester, the Sanguine Pyre will be providing a substantial security force for Beacon." Agreus said in a monotone, but commanding voice. "However, I am not without mercy. I will allow you the choice from a list of approved Huntsmen, Huntresses, officers, and other security personnel. The Pyre is fronting the bill, and I will expect an answer in two weeks. The list will be mailed to you soon."

Ozpin didn't say anything as Agreus removed his hand from the door. As it closed, Oz heard Agreus say one last thing.

"Honestly, Oz, I do hope you come around to my side. I tried to let our grievances go, at least for a short time." Agreus finished as the elevator began its descent.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair and turned to the window. The day looked far less cheery now than it had an hour ago. His scroll dinged, indicating a message. The list of approved security for Beacon. Ozpin sighed; this was going to be a long semester. He needed more coffee. He suspected though, that wasn't going to be as good as usual. Right now, though, he had an orientation speech to give. Ozpin got up and called the elevator. He'd have someone bring him a mug afterwards.

He'll have Ironwood look into previous Harvester cases. Maybe Atlas knew something Vale didn't.

Man, he really needed more coffee.

… /…

The warehouse was empty. Well, empty of life. It would do for a temporary base of operations. The loss of the Pyre was disappointing, but they had gained Torchwick, he would be such a useful and loyal lapdog. She was slowly working on the foolish leader of the White Fang. For now, though, they needed a place to lie low.

Their plans would happen, the problem was that the Pyre had too many eyes on the streets. Like Agreus said, he owned almost everything in Vale. It turned out that his boast of owning Beacon was hyperbole. It was the only thing that wasn't true.

That being said, it would be too dangerous for their plans if they began their crusade now. They would have the lapdog performing small crimes. Maybe some things he was already known and hunted for. Dust robberies would be among the less notable crimes.

Cinder smiled in satisfaction as they explored the warehouse. There were a few empty wooden crates on one side of the building, some large shipping containers, a set of stairs leading to a second-floor catwalk, and a guard office underneath them. It was a pretty standard Valean warehouse. There was only one thing odd about the warehouse. In the center of the room was a steel table. A flat steel table, directly under one of the lights.

"Cinder?" Emerald called.

Cinder turned to her pickpocket. The green haired girl walked towards her with a black leather briefcase. On the top was a five-digit gold combination lock. A gold plate existed on the front of the briefcase. The universal symbol for biohazard was engraved in the gold. No other identifying marks.

"I found something." Emerald stated the obvious.

Cinder took the briefcase. She would have inspected it further had she not heard humming and a slamming door. The three took a quick look at each. A silent command from Cinder told them to hide. They could not be revealed yet. Mercury hid behind a stack of crates. Emerald ran to a dark corner by the larger shipping containers and was presumably using her semblance to hide herself. Cinder ducked into the guard house.

The person was whistling a rather haunting tune. It sort of sounded like a waltz of some sort. The person stopped when he saw that the lights were turned on. Cinder assumed he just shrugged to himself before he shut off all the lights except the one over the table.

"Can't have any distracting lights, now can we." A slightly raspy, somewhat muffled, suave male voice said. "Augustus, guard the place. No entry or exit without my say so."

With lights off, Cinder peaked a glance at the newcomer. She couldn't tell much about him. The robe he wore led to many of his features being hidden. The fact that he was carrying a body certainly didn't help. She could see that he was a broad-shouldered individual, with quite some strength to him.

He reached the table and slammed the body down onto it. The body grunted in pain, and Cinder realized that the person was still alive.

"Oh, good. You're awake." The robed man said. "I was beginning to think that you would never awaken. Give me a second to grab my… tools."

The man glanced at the briefcase next to him.

"Huh, I could have sworn I left this in the guard house…" The man said confused. "Oh well. Old age must really be affecting my memory. Hm."

The man turned to the case. In the light, Cinder caught his profile. It was a beak, specifically the mask of an old plague doctor. An odd getup sure, but it would go well toward hiding an identity.

"You know, since you're awake, I can play some of my favorite music for you, would you like that?" The doctor asked.

The person on the table said nothing.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." The doctor said as he walked toward the guard house.

Cinder ducked under the desk. The doctor walked in and with hardly a look around, grabbed a small portable speaker. He walked back to the table in the center of the room where the man on the table was trying to escape. Cinder could definitely tell he was a man. He lacked the proper curves to be a woman.

"Now, now. We can't be having that." The doctor said as he struck the man. "Can't let you escape and return to your overlord."

He set about tightening the restraints on the man. He turned to the speaker and opened it up. In the dim light, Cinder saw him pressing a few buttons. It appeared to be a CD player. Old tech, to be sure. That thing was ancient in by modern tech standards.

"Tonight, I will play for you one of my favorite pieces of music." the doctor narrated as a haunting waltz like melody came through the speaker. It was the same melody he was humming earlier. "It was composed a few years ago by a person named Alex Roe. He called it Dance of the Blood drunk. The music has the most lovely melody with a fine operatic section and a choir of voices that enter about halfway through. I burned it onto a CD. Now I have it looped for a good hour on this disk. I love it and it helps me focus."

The music began to play as he opened the briefcase. He withdrew a syringe. Inside it was a dull blue liquid. He pressed the plunger down and tapped the needle a couple times.

"Now before we begin, I must tell you, as all good doctors do, that this won't hurt. The operation itself will hurt, but this part won't." The doctor said as he stuck the needle into the man's neck. "This needle will deliver a paralyzing agent straight to your vocal cords. You'll still breath, but you can't scream. You can't even talk. You can only breath. It will also have a minor effect on your nervous system. Enough to hinder movement, but not enough to halt feeling."

As he spoke, his voice grew less suave, more raspy, and more menacing. He lowered his hood and removed the mask. Cinder couldn't see him in the dull light. She could see a light blue glint though.

"Here's what's going to happen." His voice was old and raspy, menacing and slightly… artificial. Not robotic, per se, more like… an impressionist. Someone doing their best to mimic a voice and just barely missing it.

"Since you refuse to give information, I'm going to harvest you. Your blood is of good purity. A rather rare AB+. I haven't gotten to work with this one yet. This is exciting." The doctor said as he tore the man's shirt off.

The doctor rubbed his hands together, withdrew a scalpel from the briefcase and began cutting. The man tried to squirm in pain, but his movements were completely hindered by the restraints and paralyzing agent the doctor had used on the man. He tried to cry out in pain with each incision. No sound issued forth from his mouth. The only thing that could be heard was the haunting melody from the CD player and the doctor going about his work.

Cinder ducked back down into the booth. She could handle gore and blood just fine, but this doctor's work took it to a whole other medium. For him, it was an art. Make your victim's death as gruesome and gory as possible. She could handle a lot, but this was a bit more than she was used to.

At one point during the operation, Mercury tried to move to make an escape. He barely scuffed the floor with one of his boots. The doctor stopped what he was doing and launched several darts of some sort in Mercury's direction. None of them hit him, but it was pretty clear he knew what was going on in the warehouse without having to see anything.

Thinking on his words, Cinder realized that there was a possibility for who the doctor was. She had learned from Lady Salem about the psychopath known only as Doc Harvester. He would "harvest" his victims. Surgical removal of the blood and some of the organs was the killers general MO. Granted, the original killings happened almost one hundred and fifty years ago. There were copycats though. This man looked to be one of them.

The music stopped. A full hour had passed. Cinder chanced a look at supposed Doc Harvester. His victim was dead, and the doctor was cleaning up his utensils. Several packets of blood now lay next to the body, as well as the man's heart, one of his lungs, and what looked to be the liver. He threw the ribs he had broken into the open chest cavity. That done, the doctor got busy stitching the body back and speaking to it.

"I thank you for your patience. You have provided for me a great boon this night." He rasped as he finished closing the man's chest cavity. "Now, to find out why my briefcase wasn't in its proper place."

Cinder peaked out of the guard booth and watched. Harvester began walking around the warehouse. In the lowlight she couldn't really see much of the man, but she could see that he was ready. He eventually found his way towards the shipping containers Emerald had hidden amongst.

"Aren't you interesting?" Harvester said to no one in particular.

He continued his walk around the inside perimeter of the building. Eventually he reached the crates where Mercury was hiding. He stopped and looked down at them. She couldn't see him, but she could practically feel the smile that was surely gracing his face. His body language screamed of a delighted smugness. Harvester reached down to the ground behind the pile of crates, and Cinder knew the game was up.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Harvester asked. "A snake in the grass?"

With deceptive strength, Doc Harvester pulled Mercury from the crates. The assassin tried to fight back, but that is rather difficult to do when a man who towers over you is holding you by the ankle. A good hope on Mercury's side was the fact that he could reach the Doctor's arm. Unfortunately, every kick thrown at it did nothing more than make the doctor chuckle.

"Not gonna happen, son." The doctor said as he lifted Mercury above his head. "You aren't escaping this grip. I suggest your fellows come into the light, let us have a proper discussion."

"Let me go you bastard!" Mercury yelled in anger.

Cinder didn't move. Emerald didn't move. A few minutes of tense silence passed. The Harvester scowled.

"Or we don't have to. I wonder, who do you work for?" The doctor said, turning his attention to Mercury who was trying to escape.

He started squeezing Mercury's leg. The sound of metal grinding on metal could be heard. Metal was being crushed under the Harvester's grip.

"Prosthetics? How delightful." The Harvester said as he relented his grip on Mercury's ankle. "I do like a challenge. Tell me, would you rather be gutted or fileted?"

Mercury wasn't given a chance to answer. The doctor slammed the assassin into the table in the center of the room. A loud crack was heard, and Mercury groaned in pain. His struggling eased up a bit. The doctor slammed four light blue crystals into the steel bench. The four crystals began to grow over each of his limbs, effectively pinning him to the table.

"Now, that crack you heard was probably your back breaking. At best, I've only dislocated some of your vertebrae. Now here's what's going to happen, I'm going to ask you a question, you're going to answer. If I like your answer, you'll be rewarded. If I don't… well, you'll just have to see. Capiche?" Doc Harvester said.

"I'm not telling you anything." Mercury snapped.

"I don't like that answer." The doctor responded. "However, I'll let you have one freebie. First question, who are you?"

"Go to hell, you bastard." Mercury spat.

The doctor wiped the spittle off his face. Cinder could only assume that he was looking at Mercury with a look that just asked, really? The doctor sighed deeply.

"Very well then." The doctor said before turning to his briefcase. "I get to have a little fun."

The doctor opened the briefcase and pulled out a larger needle.

"Gonna inject me with a paralysis agent, you hack?" Mercury said angrily.

"Oh no, this needle isn't so much for injections, but it does wonders in the realm of torture." The doctor said, "You see, there are multiple places in the body where the nerves cluster. This needle has been specially treated to pierce auras, and flesh. Our first test is a bundle of nerves right behind the shoulder blade."

"You don't think I can handle pain, think again." Mercury responded with a smugness that Emerald really hated.

"Oh, my unnamed guinea pig, you don't know the meaning of pain." the doctor said as he slammed the needle into Mercury's shoulder.

Poor boy. He was an excellent assassin, and quite loyal. However, everyone had a breaking point. Even Mercury. Now, Mercury had quite a high tolerance to pain. Sure, he would be sore from the back injury, but that was nothing compared to some of the things he had gone through. However, nothing could have prepared him for the torture that Doc Harvester had in store.

The needle slid right through his aura, right through his flesh and he felt it slam into the bone. It gave a whole new meaning to the word pain. He cried out in pain. It was so bad, he felt tears begin to leak out of his eyes. He felt weak, like he would pass out any minute to protect himself from the pain. His scream would have been a lot louder had the doctor not slammed a heavy solid fist over his mouth.

He quickly extracted the needle. Blood coated the end, and Mercury could feel blood leaking from his shoulder.

"Ready to talk now?" The doctor asked.

"My name is… Mercury." He panted, weakly.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it? No, I thought not," Harvester rhetorically asked. "Now, why are you here? Who do you work for?"

"Not telling… you anymore… bastard." Mercury answered.

"Stubborn aren't you…" The doctor trailed off. When he turned back to Mercury, Cinder would have sworn she saw a lightbulb go off. "I can remedy that situation. How about another amputation? A little more off the legs? Your arms perhaps? Ooh, I know, how about the head? A good decapitation never hurt anyone."

Mercury didn't say anything. Cinder would have entered the room and said something. Surprisingly, it was Emerald who revealed herself first.

"Enough!" She tried to command. The quiver in her voice did little to dissuade the doctor.

"A thief in the shadow and a snake in the grass." Harvester commented. "But for whom do you work?"

"Let him go." Emerald said.

"I could, then I'd lose a bargaining chip. He's clearly a subordinate, and so are you. You don't have the spine to be a leader. Tell me girly, who do you work for?" Harvester commanded.

"Let him go, and I'll tell you." Emerald repeated.

"Hm… I think not." Doc Harvester said. "However, since I'm clearly not getting anything from him, what about you? Do you have as high a pain tolerance as he?"

Emerald didn't respond as the doctor threw four crystals at her. They grew around her and restrained her. She couldn't keep her balance and fell to her side. Cinder noticed that his arm was extended.

"Hm…" The doctor hummed as he turned back to Mercury. "So, it's obvious you're not of the Pyre. Their leader wouldn't hire boneheads such as you."

The Pyre? This guy was after members of the Pyre. Cinder could use that. Deciding not to risk the health of her lap dogs anymore, Cinder exited the guard booth.

"I would advise against harming them again." Cinder said in the sensual sinister voice she was known for.

The doctor turned to her. Cinder had to suppress a gasp upon seeing the man's face. The quarter of his face around his right eye was completely crystal. The crystal eye in the center moved as though it were still human. Through the crystal, she saw parts of his skull. His lower jaw was also completely crystal. One section of his head was so translucent that Cinder saw all the way into his skull. His brain looked relatively normal… or at least as normal as a partially crystallized human could be. His smile showed Cinder that all of his teeth were the same light blue crystal.

"Now you, are a leader. Your subordinates, I presume?" Harvester asked gesturing toward the two on the ground.

"Indeed." Cinder replied. "And I would appreciate it if you released them."

"Maybe. Depends on if I like your answer to my next question. Why are you here?" Harvester asked.

"We are looking for a temporary headquarters. We didn't know this place was in use so-" Cinder began.

"So, you hid as to avoid being spotted. Clearly you don't want Remnant knowing you're here. Very well, I'll release them. Of course, that is, if you'd be so kind as to give me names and explain to me why you're looking for a base of operations?" Harvester asked as he started circling around Cinder.

"That wasn't part of the deal." Cinder glared at the doctor while lighting up a fireball.

The slight glow of her dress did not go unnoticed by the doctor.

"I merely asked for your names. I can always force your hand." the Harvester responded.

He raised his right arm, clenched his fist and pulled it towards his body. Cinder's dress responded to the movement. It constricted around Cinder and pulled her toward the doctor. The smile on the insane man turned sinister. Cinder tried to burn him, but the fire dust refused to answer her command. Looking down, she noticed that her dress now had a light blue hue to it. The same light blue as the crystal on the Harvester's skull.

"Now will you answer my questions? Or do we have to take this further?" He asked, a hand clasped on her throat.

"We serve a mistress who intends to see Remnant changed." Cinder gritted her teeth.

"Changed?" Harvester asked. "How so?"

Cinder thought about her answer. This man was medically trained. Perhaps she could appeal to that training? Maybe, maybe not but she had to try.

"She sees Remnant afflicted with a disease. She wishes to cure it." Cinder answered.

Harvester raised his crystalline eyebrow. She had his attention. Now to reel him in.

"And what better way to cure a disease than to get a doctor to treat it?" Cinder asked.

"Interesting…" Harvester said as he set Cinder down.

He brought his hand to his chin. He stroked his nonexistent beard while he thought about the answers she had given him. He looked at Cinder, a small satisfied smile graced his face. He waved his hand and released Mercury and Emerald. Mercury was unconscious, the pain had taken it out of him. Emerald got up and began checking over him.

"I think we can work out a deal here. First though, your names?" The doctor asked.

"The one you tortured to unconscious is my assassin, Mercury Black. The girl stroking his hair and making sure he's alright is my right hand, Emerald Sustrai. I am their boss, Cinder Fall." Cinder answered.

"A pleasure. I am Doc Harvester." the doctor introduced himself with a bow. "And don't worry, your assassin will be fine. I can fix him. What can you do for me while I'm working for you?"

"What do you want?" Cinder asked. "I'm sure we can provide."

"Oh, is it that simple? In that case, I want you or someone working for you to take the attention of the Sanguine Pyre off of me." Harvester said. "Now what do you want of me?"

"That can be done." Cinder replied. "As for you, we will call you when we need you. A favor now for a favor later."

"Fair enough. Just know, I won't come if I'm in the middle of a harvest." Doc Harvester said.

"Understandable. I do have one more question for you." Cinder said. "What is the deal with the crystals?"

"Hah." Doc Harvester barked. "That my new friend, is a tale for another time."

* * *

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	7. CH7: Questions

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 7: Questions**

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"Lord Blackflame? We have a faunus who says he's from the White Fang, here to see you." Noire August said as she walked into the room.

Noire August was a brilliant secretary. She was a rather short woman, though she compensated for that by wearing shoes with the highest heels, Agreus ever did see. She often wore a simple business casual suit, much like the black one she wore today. Her eyes were a light green, while her hair was a brilliant midnight black. Her dark hair made the lone gray wolf ear stick out of the top of her head even more. She would have had two, but an accident four years ago ended with the loss of her ear.

"Thank you Noire. Did the reports on the unbound dust come in yet?" Agreus asked as Noire handed him a folder of paperwork.

"Not today, sir. I did have a message for you from Taiyang Xiao Long. He wishes to speak with you, preferably this week." Noire answered.

"Great, tell him he can come in tomorrow at five." Agreus said.

"Actually sir, he said he wouldn't be able to make it in." Noire responded.

"Hmm… I'll see what I can do." Agreus responded. "Anything else?"

"Your daughter would like to speak with you as well, sir." Noire answered.

"Is she here?" Agreus asked, pausing to look up from his computer.

"Yes." Noire answered curtly.

"Then send her in after the White Fang member." Agreus commanded.

"Of course, sir." Noire answered as she left Agreus's office.

Ten seconds later, a member of the White Fang walked in. Agreus watched as he took a seat across from Agreus's desk. His mask was in his hand. He was a rather broad-shouldered male. His eyes were a dirt brown color, and a black hood on his equally black hoodie covered his head. A pyre ring shone proudly from his right ring finger. He refused to sit down and remained standing respectfully before the head of the Pyre.

"Perry, may I inquire as to why you are here?" Agreus asked as he opened a document on his computer.

"Well, sir. I am here to give a report from the girl you spoke to last time you were at the Fang camp." Perry said.

"Belladonna?" Agreus asked.

"Yes, sir. She said that you told her to talk to one of us if she had information and we would deliver it to you." Perry relayed.

"I know that, what else did she have to tell you?" Agreus asked.

"Well, according to her, the White Fang is allying itself with a woman named Cinder Fall." Perry said. "Adam himself signed off on the deal."

"Hmm." Agreus steepled his fingers in front of him. "Any particular reason why?"

"Not that Miss Belladonna could determine. Adam just wants to see all of humanity fall. It seems that Miss Fall has promised him exactly that." Perry answered. "Actually, many members of the Fang, secret members of the Pyre included, aren't quite so keen on the idea."

"What about Miss Belladonna?" Agreus asked.

"She too wants out." Perry answered.

"How many non-Pyre members are in this group?" Agreus asked.

"I'd say a good twenty five percent of the White Fang who aren't members of the Sanguine Pyre would like out. What should I tell them?" Perry asked.

"Tell them to wait. As it stands, their position in the White Fang is useful." Agreus answered.

"They're not going to like that." Perry asked. "Could you at least tell us how long that will be?"

"I don't know." Agreus answered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "However, if the White Fang ever openly attacks Vale, then you all have my permission to leave."

"Thank you, sir. What about Belladonna, though? She thought you might have a different command just for her." Perry said.

"Perceptive girl." Agreus muttered. "Seeing as she is still too young for the Pyre, we can't induct her. Tell her, when she comes of age, the Pyre still has a place for her, however we can also help her get into an academy should she so choose."

"Is it too much to inquire why, sir?" Perry asked.

"No. She said she wanted to." Agreus answered. "Now, Perry, return to the Fang. I have a pressing meeting, and I'm sure you have duties of your own. Tell Noire to send in my daughter."

"Yes sir." Perry answered with a salute as he got up and left the room.

Agreus sighed. The situation with the White Fang was heating up. They Fang had been rather quiet since his visit three months ago. The info from the young Belladonna was definitely appreciated, yet it still wasn't much.

Agreus didn't have time to consider much else as Amber came striding through the door. Qrow followed right behind her. Agreus smiled a wide genuine smile at his daughter as she took a seat in front of his desk. She would turn fifteen in a few weeks. He had so very little time to spend with her, especially with the current round of Harvester killings, and the museum situation. That being said, he relished any time they had together. Granted most of their time together now was just training her power as a maiden.

Her maiden powers were something else. When she first got them, Agreus had assumed that they were much like a semblance. They behaved so differently though. He had no clue what to classify them as. When asked, Qrow had informed him that Ozpin called it Magic. It sounded preposterous, but then again, they really didn't have anything else to go off of. If Amber's semblance ever manifested, then maybe he could better study her maiden powers.

"Dad?" Amber asked.

"Huh? Sorry, I zoned out. What did you ask?" Agreus replied.

"I asked if I could learn to use another weapon." Amber answered with a chuckle.

"Another weapon? Is there something wrong with your staff?" Agreus asked.

"No. _Nature's Wrath_ is a fine weapon. I can fight well with it, but I want to learn to fight with a second weapon. If nothing else, it would be a great help in battle, just in case I'm ever disarmed." Amber responded.

Agreus said nothing. His daughter made a good point. There was one slight problem. Agreus wasn't a sword fighter. The art of the blade had never been his strong suit. His own weapon, _The Final Call_, was a halberd. A halberd he rarely used, but still a halberd nonetheless. And despite the fact that he rarely used his Halberd, he was actually pretty good with the weapon.

So, he couldn't train her. He was good with a polearm not a sword arm. Qrow would be a good choice, but the last time Qrow had met with Agreus, he had expressed a wish to train his niece with the scythe. He wished to be briefly relinquished from his duties to be with his family rather than watch over the family he worked for. Agreus could respect that.

"Do you know what type of sword you'd want to use?" Agreus asked.

"Scimitar." Amber answered.

Great, that ruled out any of the sword wielders in the Pyre. He didn't know a single one who used a scimitar. Standard issue Pyre sword was a falchion. Then again, Agreus wasn't sure he could trust much of the Pyre to teach his daughter. They would go too easy on her and she would never improve. All because of fear of him. It was an odd conundrum he found himself in. Who could teach Amber the art of the blade?

Who can teach her the art of the blade? Or rather, the Arc of the blade.

"Heh." Agreus chuckled to himself at the brilliant word association his mind had produced.

"Dad?" Amber asked.

The arc of the blade. Orion could teach her. He was a master of the blade, a dual wielder nonetheless. A smile slowly spread across Agreus' face. He could trust Orion Arc to train his daughter how to wield a scimitar. Blade Master Arc was a master with all blades.

"Dad?" Amber asked, confused.

Even Qrow looked at his boss in confusion. Agreus would sometimes get so lost in thought he drowned out the rest of the world. However, this was the first time he had done so to anyone in his family. Agreus ignored them and picked up his scroll. He opened it and began dialing. The end of the line rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Hello, you've reached Orion Arc, speak now or forever hold your peace." The familiar voice of his brother-in-law came through.

"Greetings, Blade Master Arc." Agreus answered.

Recognizing the need for ceremony, Orion answered "Greetings Lord Blackflame, may I ask why I am receiving this call?"

"Indeed. I am calling to inquire if you are still in the market for an apprentice? Or does your son still fulfill that role?" Agreus asked.

"Unfortunately, Jaune cannot learn any more from me. So, yes, I am in the market for an apprentice." Orion answered.

"Excellent, then Blade Master Arc, my daughter, Amber Blackflame, would like to apprentice under you. She wishes to learn the ways of the blade." Agreus spoke.

"Does she understand the requirements of such a position?" Orion asked.

"She will." Agreus answered.

"Does she have a particular blade she wishes to learn on?" Orion asked.

"Scimitar." Agreus answered as he turned to his daughter.

She was smiling wide. Her father was fulfilling her wish, what little girl wouldn't be smiling wide at that?

"Interesting. When can we start?" Orion asked.

"When's the earliest you're willing to start?" Agreus countered.

"Get her here tonight and we can begin tomorrow. If she has a blade, bring it. If not, that will be our first task tomorrow." Orion answered.

"Excellent. Anything else I should tell her?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. She should also take it upon herself to learn basic first aid." Orion responded. "That is all, have a good day, Lord Blackflame."

"And to you, Blade Master Arc." Agreus said as he hung up.

"Dad?" Amber asked grinning widely.

"Qrow, you are relieved of your duties for the time being. Inform the Headmaster that Amber will be learning the art of the blade from Blade Master Arc." Agreus commanded. "After that, you may return to Patch to begin training your niece."

"Thank you, sir." Qrow said, before turning and leaving.

"So, here's what's going to happen." Agreus began. "Do you have a sword?"

"No." Amber answered sheepishly.

"No matter. Your uncle has agreed to take you on as his apprentice to teach you the art of the blade." Agreus continued.

"Really?!" Amber exclaimed in joy. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

The girl had leapt from her seat and hugged her father. Agreus, unprepared though he was, still welcomed the hug and returned the embrace. When they ended their embrace, Amber returned to her seat.

"Now, before you go, you must know a few things. The Arcs have agreed to give you room and board, but this will not be an excuse for you to laze around or spend all your time with your cousins. You are there to learn the art of the blade, as such you will be expected to maintain a certain manner of decorum at all times. You will refer to Orion as Blade Master Arc, Master Arc, or just Master, unless he specifies otherwise." Agreus explained. "Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Amber nodded.

"Good. You will be expected to follow his orders and instructions as if they were law." Agreus continued.

"So, if he told me to jump, I ask how high, right?" Amber asked for confirmation.

"No, if he tells you to jump, you jump and don't ask anything. You are there to learn the art of the blade, so he will be unlikely to tell you to jump though." Agreus continued. "While you are there, I want you to give them no cause to complain. You will be expected to be up early and to work all day. Some days you may not even be training, and you'll just be helping do chores around the house. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Amber replied.

"Excellent, now go pack. When you are ready to go, we will fly out to the Arc's residence." Agreus finished.

Amber jumped up and ran out of the room. Agreus followed her out. He stopped by Noire's desk.

"Lord Blackflame?" She inquired.

"Noire, I am leaving for the day. Could you have one of the pilots ready a bullhead?" Agreus asked.

"Yes sir, would you like me to hold all your calls?" Noire asked.

"Forward them to Jeremiah please, and let him know that I am flying out to the Arc residence, then to Patch." Agreus answered.

"Patch, sir?" Noire questioned.

"Taiyang wanted to meet with me in person, did he not? That reminds me, would you be so kind as to inform him of my imminent arrival?" Agreus requested.

"Of course, sir." Noire said.

"Excellent. After that, if Jeremiah has nothing else for you, take the rest of the day off, my dear." Agreus said as he left.

Forty-five minutes later, Agreus and Amber were in a bullhead on their way to the Arc residence. It had taken Amber fifteen minutes to pack. Then another twenty to repack, as she had neglected to pack a few essentials. _Nature's Wrath_ for instance. Sure, she was going to learn to fight with a sword, but she should still have a weapon she knew how to fight with in any case.

The ride to the Arc residence was relatively quiet. Only the humming of the Bullhead pierced the silence. Even though she was excited, Amber was kind of nervous. She had no idea what her training would entail or how long it would take.

The bullhead landed in a clearing near the Arc residence.

"Pilot don't power down. I shall be back in about five minutes." Agreus commanded.

"Yes sir." The Pilot answered.

Amber and Agreus disembarked. Waiting for them outside was Orion Arc himself. He watched as the two left the airship. Agreus readily grasped Orion's arm in greeting.

"Orion." Agreus greeted.

"Agreus, Amber." Orion returned.

"Hi Blade Master Arc." Amber respectfully greeted.

"Heh, glad to see you know the decorum required. However, you can still refer to me as uncle tonight. From tomorrow it will be Master Arc." Orion answered. "Now head on up to the house. Joan will have lunch ready soon."

"Thank you, Uncle Orion." Amber said with a smile.

She embraced her dad one last time. She smiled at him and left for the Arc residence.

"How long do you think her training will take?" Agreus asked.

"Between one and two years." Orion answered. "She'll be a master of the blade in no time. Tonight, and tomorrow will be the easiest days for her."

"She knows." Agreus replied. "I must be off now. Business to run."

"You can't stay for lunch?" Orion asked.

"Sorry, but no." Agreus answered. "I have important business elsewhere."

"Farewell, Agreus." Orion said.

Agreus nodded at his brother-in-law before boarding the bullhead once again. The bullhead took off. A quick command was all that was needed for the pilot to turn course and head towards the island of Patch. Agreus lost track of the flight time as he began to doze.

An indeterminate amount of time passed before the descent of the bullhead awoke Agreus. This time, he allowed the pilot to disembark as well. He was unsure of how long he would be. Of course, seeing as how Taiyang and Summer didn't live in the main village on the island, it would be a small trek to their humble abode. If he was lucky, Qrow would have already arrived. However, knowing Ozpin, Qrow was probably performing some menial task for the old man.

Agreus began his trek into the forest towards the Xiao Long-Rose household. It was an odd experience for him. Agreus was able to navigate his way to the house with little issue. Impressive, considering his utter lack of navigational abilities. The only minor issue he encountered were a few stray Beowolves here and there. No match for Blackfire. Their bodies went up in smoke in a matter of seconds.

Soon enough, the cabin he was searching for came into view. He entered the clearing in time to see the door open. A young girl stepped outside. Her hair grew to just above her shoulders, it was black with red tips. She had the most startling silver eyes. She started at the sight of Agreus. The head of the Pyre smiled. Ruby Rose was a hard face to forget.

"Ruby Rose." Agreus greeted.

"Hi…" Ruby responded, somewhat meekly. "Do I know you?"

"I should hope so, but it was seven years ago now. I saved your mother from a particularly nasty poison. As thanks, you gave me a 50-caliber bullet." Agreus answered. "Either way, allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Agreus Blackflame."

Ruby gasped and quickly curtsied. "The head of the Sanguine Pyre… I-I'm honored."

"There is no need to bow to me, Ruby, just run along and get your parents. I have business with them." Agreus commanded. "I'll wait right here."

Ruby nodded before disappearing in a shower of rose petals. The sound of something shattering could be heard. Then an angry female voice could be heard.

"RUBY ROSE! WHAT HAVE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT USING YOUR SEMBLANCE IN THE HOUSE!?" The unmistakable voice of Summer Rose resounded from within.

Agreus didn't hear the response. He did note that it wasn't a full five seconds before the door clicked open. Summer stood there, face a bit red, with Ruby right behind her. The young girl was red in the face and looked quite ashamed.

"Agreus, sir. We weren't expecting you so soon. Please, come in." Summer welcomed him in. "Ruby, why don't you go play with your sister."

Ruby took the unspoken command to heart and ran out of the room, sans semblance this time. Agreus followed Summer into the living room of their cabin. Summer left to get Taiyang. The two entered a few seconds later. Taiyang was clearly nervous.

"Lord Blackflame." Taiyang greeted.

"Taiyang. I'm sure you know why I'm here." Agreus stated.

"I wanted to meet with you in person but couldn't come into the manor." Taiyang stated.

"Yes. Now, what is so important that you had to meet with me?" Agreus asked.

"Two things. First I got a message back from Vick." Taiyang answered.

"Vick? Who's Vick?" Agreus asked.

"His Dust Alchemist." Summer supplied helpfully.

"Ah, and why couldn't this have been sent to me via email?" Agreus asked.

"Well, that's the second reason. Though I do think it's important that you read the message." Taiyang said.

Agreus shrugged and held out his hand for a scroll. Taiyang fumbled with his for a second before passing it over. Agreus took a moment to read the message.

_Taiyang,_

_You have got to tell me where you got these samples. They are fascinating. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much that you probably don't already know, but… there is something wrong with them. This is Unbound Dust, obviously, but it is too… I don't know… perfect._

_That may seem like a confusing description but let me explain. Dust crystals, artificial or otherwise have impurities in their structure. They don't follow a general crystal lattice structure. The bonds in the crystal are random and, well, inefficient. It's part of the reason that the energies stored within the Dust can be used so easily. Disrupt the bonds to release the energy. With the bonds being random, you can easily find and disrupt weaker bonds, thus allowing for a quick release of energy, such as firing a bullet. Machines can be made to break down the stronger bonds for longer more consistent releases, like dust engines. This randomness even occurs in artificial Dust Crystals. Granted, though they are more perfect in form than naturally occurring ones, the bonds between the atoms are still relatively random._

_Unbound Dust is different. Unbound Dust tends to be too perfect to hold any one element. As a result, they hold roughly the same amount of energy for each element to keep it in a more perfect structure. However, even this is only theoretical. Unbound Dust is called such because it holds such an even spread of energy that it physically cannot release naturally like we do with normal Dust Crystals, or you could use a force so extreme that can shatter the atoms that make up the crystal itself. For centuries, Dust Alchemists, myself included, have tried to make true Unbound Dust. You have to realize; Unbound Dust does not occur naturally in nature. It is a product of very advanced Dust Alchemy. Even then, it isn't truly Unbound. It can still release small amounts of energy from the very rare, but still occurring, weaker bonds. It still houses some randomness._

_This dust you sent me… it's too perfect. It is true Unbound Dust. There is no randomness to the bonds in this crystal. It is a truly perfect crystal lattice structure. No energy can be released from this… for you to have come across a sample of this size… _

_Sorry. If this is confusing, it's difficult to explain. I think the easiest way to imagine it is to think of the layout of the kingdoms. Standard natural dust is akin to the planning of Vacuo. There is very little order to the kingdom, if any at all. Artificial bound dust is more akin to Mistral. There is more order than Vacuo, but still very little. Unbound Dust is a far different beast. Common Unbound Dust is akin to Vale. A fairly standard grid layout, with a few points of randomness, like an intersection of seven streets (seriously, I think Vale has the record for the largest intersection on Remnant). This dust you sent me though, True Unbound Dust, is most akin to Atlas. No deviation from the grid like structure. It's kind of scary._

_Honestly, I have no clue how anything like this can exist. What I can tell you is that the way it was made is neither natural nor standard. As for the Unbound Dust fused with the tissue… how? It is fused on an atomic level. Again, How? It makes no sense. If I weren't staring at it as I write this, I would say that it was a physical, logical and alchemical impossibility. I have absolutely no idea how anything like this could be created._

_I've sent smaller samples off to other Dust Alchemists I know. Maybe they can tell you more, because I can make neither heads nor tails of this blasted conundrum. Anyway, I've rambled on for long enough. If you get another sample, send it my way. For now, though, as one of my friends in the trade says, science waits for no man._

_Vick_

Agreus finished reading the message and handed Taiyang his scroll.

"Great, all the Unbound Dust raises is more questions." Agreus muttered.

"Unfortunately, so." Taiyang said. "However, that isn't the main reason I called you down here."

"Then what is?" Agreus said.

"The whole island is being monitored." Summer said.

"By whom? Atlas?" Agreus asked.

"We have no idea, but we can confirm they aren't Atlas." Taiyang said.

"How?" Agreus asked, standing up.

"Atlas soldiers don't wear robes." Summer stated.

Agreus turned to her confused.

"Robes?" He asked.

"Robes." Taiyang confirmed. "We started to notice them about two months ago. They've been well integrated. We have no clue how long they've been on the island, but they clearly don't want to lose control."

"How did you find them only a couple months ago?" Agreus asked.

"They just sort of… blend in." Summer said. "We probably wouldn't have noticed anything had it not been for the fact that two of them followed Ruby to the edge of town."

"Why would they follow Ruby?" Agreus asked.

"We have no idea, but since then, the girls aren't allowed into town without either, me, Summer or Qrow." Taiyang said. "Since we started the setup to turn this island into a 'jumping off point for the Pyre' as you put it, we've been noticing more activity from this group."

"And you called me here to help deal with the problem?" Agreus asked.

"No." Summer said pulling out her scroll. "We called you here because you will want to deal with the problem."

Summer handed Agreus her scroll. It showed a picture of a familiar blond-haired woman. A woman who Agreus knew all too well. She was accompanied by five hooded people.

"I took that picture a couple weeks ago, but we can confidently say that Vermillion is alive." Taiyang said. "But whoever these people are, they've been monitoring all communications to and from Patch. I have no idea how long they've been doing this."

"How did you find out they were monitoring communications?" Agreus asked.

"Summer." Taiyang gestured to his wife.

"I went to the CCT tower here. I was to make a video call. The image was greatly distorted. I checked all around the desk and found this." Summer said as she handed over a small device.

Agreus looked at the device Summer handed him. It was a small bug. A very familiar type of bug. It was the same type of bug that the Pyre used when targeting certain unsavory targets. The device was designed to hijack the signal of any transmission and copy it to one of the Pyre's servers for later observation. Fortunately, the Pyre very rarely had to communicate with anyone on the island of Patch, until now anyways. With the launching of a branch of the Pyre on Patch, they would need to weed these criminals out.

And save Vermillion Blackflame, of course. One issue at a time though. First Agreus had to save his wife.

* * *

**ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

**Data Log AFT007**

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	8. CH8: Cult

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

**PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED**

**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 8: Cult**

* * *

Despite the better judgement of his underlings, Agreus was determined to find his wife. According to Taiyang and Summer, Vermillion had been taken into an old theater in the center of town. A perfect place to hide a kidnapping victim. Summer and Taiyang were tagging along. Qrow was asked to watch over the girls for a few hours. He tried to get out of doing it, but when Summer Rose asks kindly, you don't say no.

The trio headed into town. The town of Patch, not to be confused with the island of Patch, was a rather small place. The traffic was minimal, the economy was booming, humans and faunus walked about their daily lives, and Signal stood proudly near the shore. In the center of the village was what the locals called their entertainment district. Admittedly though, it was a single abandoned theater, a movie theater, a candy store, and the main judicial building. It wasn't much, but it was the village.

The three walked up to the theater. It had been abandoned for decades now. However, it was such a monument that no one had the heart to tear it down. Then again, no one wanted to maintain the place either. There were no valuables, and no reason to break in. As such, the building was unsecured. Agreus, Summer and Taiyang entered with no opposition.

Inside, they immediately knew something was wrong. For a building that had been abandoned for decades, it was remarkably dust free. The old cabinets, tables and chairs around the place were spotless. Off to the side of the ticket booth were two doors. One that went downstairs to the main level of the auditorium, two that went to the balcony seats and the side halls. The three moved quickly and quietly through toward the main auditorium. They entered the room quietly. There was a spotlight on. There were no seats. The auditorium chairs were gone. The room was empty. Empty save for a single person in odd dark robes on the stage. Standing in the spotlight, doing what seemed to be a dance of some sort. Summer, Taiyang and Agreus ducked behind the solid banister of the balcony to hide. Agreus peaked over the top to see what was going on.

A person dressed in a crimson robe walked on stage. They were having a hushed conversation, as such Agreus couldn't hear what was being said. After five minutes, the two left. The dark robed individual exited stage left, while the crimson robe walked down the aisle and exited through the front of the building. When they were gone, Agreus turned to his partners in crime.

"I just saw another robed person. They were wearing crimson. They left through the back of the auditorium. The dancer on stage left backstage." Agreus said. "I'll follow the dancer, see what I can find. You two follow our crimson friend. Don't be found."

Taiyang and Summer nodded before leaving the way they came in. Agreus just looked around the room. Once he confirmed that he was alone, he vaulted over the banister. Agreus landed on the ground, letting his aura take the brunt of the force, and walked onstage. The spotlight had been turned off, so he hurried backstage.

Backstage was full of old props and sets. All faded and pale. They probably hadn't seen the light of day in years. Agreus walked amongst the old stage decor, not a soul in sight. Behind everything was an exit door. Agreus noticed it was slightly ajar. He quickly made his way to the door. He couldn't hear anything from the other side. He pushed open the door, slowly, so as to avoid the risk of the hinges squeaking.

The hall behind the door was silent and empty. No lights were on, so it was dark too. Agreus quietly crept his way through the empty hall. He kept his fingers ready to snap at a moment's notice. The hall turned right at the far end. He found it odd that he hadn't encountered any doors… then again, that might have been due to the darkness and him just not being able to see.

With that thought in mind, Agreus walked back up the hall towards the stage. One hand on the wall to feel for any doors. Along the way, he passed three doors, all of them locked. He did the same for the other side of the hall, three more doors. Two locked, one unlocked. The unlocked door only led to another empty room.

He exited the room and continued down the hallway. At the end, he took the right turn. A short ways down this new hall, was a door with a dim bulb hanging behind it. The light was little, but enough to see that this hall had no doors. Agreus quickly made his way to the lit doorway. He was a bit confused to see a staircase leading down. It made him wonder, how deep underground was this theater built?

Still ready to activate his semblance at a moment's notice, Agreus began descending the steps. Each step he took made him wish that he had _The Final Call _with him… or a pistol. Thankfully, he was proficient enough in aura and semblance usage that he needn't worry too much about his present lack of lethal force.

The staircase was forty steps in a spiral to the bottom. Agreus presumed this subbasement to be about twenty-five to thirty feet below the auditorium. It was probably not included in the original plans. Not that he would know. He wasn't there when this theater was built. Perhaps he could have Jeremiah investigate an archive to find this building's original blueprints.

At the base of the staircase was a door. Not an old door, it looked relatively new. Agreus pressed an ear to the door to see if he could hear anything on the other side. He didn't, so he slowly opened the door. It led to another hallway that quickly intersected to a T at the end. Agreus shut the door and stole towards the intersection. The place was oddly devoid of life. At least this time, the hallways were lit.

Both directions the hall split off led to a corner. Agreus chose the left hall and prowled toward the corner. He could faintly hear some voices. He reached the corner and peaked around it. He could see the hall opened into a larger room with… cells? Agreus would have crept closer if he hadn't seen the glint of a weapon just beyond the doorway. Finally, some guards. Agreus heard them speaking.

"-left behind." The guard on the left grumbled.

"Better than Magpie. Heard he was on cleaning duty." The guard on the right answered.

"True, but at least he's doing something productive. We've only got two people down here to guard. Both of them are too weak to actually do anything." Left complained. "We can't even take them, if you catch my drift."

"Yeah. But Jackdaw said they had to be kept in "pristine condition" … whatever that means." Right responded.

"You think it might have something to do with the new Harvester that showed up in Vale?" Left asked.

"Possibly. Who do you want to bet they sent to silence the blasphemer?" Right asked.

"Raven. Definitely Raven." Left answered.

"Nah, it wouldn't have been Raven. He's too noticeable. I'd hedge my bets on Vulture." Right said.

"Five lien says you're wrong." Left responded.

Agreus quickly backed away. He fished out his scroll to send a message to Taiyang and Summer. Unfortunately, he was too far underground to get a good signal. Quietly, Agreus made his way back to the stairs and climbed them. Back at ground level a signal got through.

Agreus: Found something interesting. A single open door backstage, follow the dark hall to the end. Descend the stairs. No signal below ground. The hall Ts at the end, turn right to find a prison. 2 guards, 2 prisoners. Get them out.

Taiyang: Roger that sir. We'll get them out.

Agreus: Do it silently. I don't want them to know we're here.

Agreus pocketed his scroll and quietly made his way back down the dimly lit hallway. He turned right and padded along. The hall led to a large underground chamber. The walls were nothing but rock now. Small openings in the walls signified exits. The room was circular, and like the path he was on spiraled downward. Agreus would have attempted to explore the place, but the sound of voices from the center of the massive room drew his attention. Agreus stepped closer to the ledge and peered down into the room.

Upon doing so, he realized a few things. 1) This cave was incredibly wet. The walls shone from the lights down below. He figured this was probably a sea cove. Sea water had weathered away much of the rock over the years. It would make sense, considering the fact that Patch had many such caves. What was odd though was the fact that this one looked more planned than natural… and inhabited. 2) This was likely the headquarters for the secret organization in Patch. If he had to take a guess, Agreus would say they were a cult. Then again, that could just be due to stereotypes. 3) These people were indeed the ones to kidnap his wife. Looking down in the center of the room, Agreus could see the emaciated blond-haired form of Vermillion. She was tied to a slab in the center of the room.

There were only seven robed people around her with one next to the slab. Agreus could tell that she was still conscious. The man next to what he assumed to be an altar, held a blade of some sort. The group below them were bickering.

"And I'm telling you that we need not wait for Jackdaw to return." The guy on the altar said.

"Yes, we do. None of us have the necessary skills for this." A guy in the crowd said.

Agreus began to quietly creep his way down to the bottom of the room. If he could create a big enough distraction, he could get Vermillion out of here.

"I can do it just fine, besides what's the worst that could happen?" Altar person said.

"You could call down the wrath of the Harvester." One of the robed acolytes suggested.

Definitely cultists of a sort. Not very competent ones by the looks of it. Still, they had managed to remain a secret for a good long time. He needed to focus on creating a distraction. He needed a good way to draw the attention of the acolytes away from his wife. A show of power could do the trick, but he couldn't just rush in guns blazing. The fallback might harm Vermillion.

The sound of gunshots caught his attention. It echoed through the corridors. The acolytes below him must have heard it too. A word from the leader of the group sent half of them to inspect the noise. Agreus ducked into one of the alcoves in the side of the cave walls as they rushed past. None of them saw him. He smirked.

When he emerged, the group below consisted of three people. One still holding a blade next to his wife, and two below him. Now would be as good a time as any to emerge. Agreus raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Black flames roared to life around his hands. The sound of the snap echoed through the chamber.

Agreus willed the fire down into the chamber. A large ball of fire settled into the air next to the man on the altar. Agreus could see Vermillion breathe a sigh of relief.

The fires surrounded the three acolytes as Agreus descended into the room. Agreus said nothing as he walked up behind the two below the altar and slammed their heads together. The two cultists fell to the ground, unconscious.

"You dare defile the sacred ritual?!" The cultist on the altar exclaimed.

"Yes." Agreus snapped darkly as the fires coalesced around his hands.

Agreus swung his arm forward. The flames leapt at the cultist. The fires engulfed him in seconds. He screeched in agony as he could feel his soul burning away. He sent more fire at the cultists still in the room, mercilessly ending their miserable existences. When the screaming stopped, Agreus called the fire back to himself. Vermillion was breathing heavily from her place on the altar. Agreus stepped up and willed the fire to burn through the shackles.

It was difficult to burn through the shackles. Black fire was more suited to burning the life force of living beings. That had never deterred Agreus before. It had taken much practice in his younger years, but he had trained his semblance to give him the ability to burn through the material as equally as the immaterial.

The shackles fell away and Agreus lifted Vermillion into his arms. Vermillion wrapped her arms around Agreus and wept. With a snap of his fingers, the black fires dissipated, and he began the walk back to the surface. The sounds of fighting had stopped. Vermillion curled into Agreus's arms and soon fell asleep. Agreus met Summer and Taiyang at the stairwell. They looked tired, but nothing seemed wrong.

"You got her?" Summer asked.

"Yep. How about the other prisoners?" Agreus asked.

"Freed." Taiyang said. "We also took care of the robed guys."

"Excellent. I want one of you to lead an expedition from the Pyre. Scour the caves and route out any in hiding. I want this cleared by the end of the week." Agreus commanded.

"Of course, sir." Summer said.

The trio ascended the spiral staircase. Summer and Taiyang kept constant watch for their attackers. Agreus paid them no heed, he was only focused on the woman in his arms. When they reached the surface. Agreus called for a bullhead. He needed to return to Vale. Vermillion needed a hospital and Jeremiah needed to know about the existence of this cult.

It was going to be a long few days.

…/…

Staying in one place had never really been Doc Harvester's style. Seeing as he had been hunted for his less than ethical experiments for the longest of times, no one could really blame him. Hence why it was such a surprise that night when he entered the warehouse.

Standing in the center of the room, by the operating table for his latest experiment was a man in a dark grey robe. The light was quite illuminating. Harvester glanced at the robed man, before walking straight up to him and slamming his next victim on the table.

"You really go all out with this, don't you?" The robed figure asked as the doctor restrained the unconscious man.

"All out with what?" Harvester asked as he grabbed his bag of tools.

"These copycat killings." Robe guy responded.

"Copycat killings?" Harvester glanced up at the robed man. "These are no copycat killings. You can't really be a copycat if you are the originator."

"How dare you compare yourself to Saint Harvester!" The robed man snapped.

Harvester responded by throwing a handful of small dust crystals, followed by launching one of his scalpels at the robed figure. Doc raised an eyebrow as the robed figure brought both his hands in front of him and the scalpel stopped in midair. The positioning of his hands made it appear as if he were crushing something. The man dropped his hands and the scalpel fell to the floor.

"You've got my attention." Harvester said after a minute. "What are you here for?"

"Well, it is the duty of my organization to stop the activities of any person that might try to defile the good work of Saint Harvester. Either by persuasion or force." The robed man answered.

"Why do you keep calling me a saint?" Harvester asked as he picked up his scalpel and turned back to his victim.

The victim in question had woken up and was trying to struggle free of his bonds.

"None of that now." Harvester whispered as he stabbed the sharp blade into the man's jugular. "I'll return to you in a bit, this might be a bit more important."

"You sir are not a saint; you are just defiling the work of the great Doc Harvester." The robed man said.

"You say that as if I'm not he. But I don't know what to call you either, so the feeling is probably mutual." Harvester said as he leaned against his operating table.

"Ah, you can call me Jackdaw." The now named Jackdaw said.

"Ok, and your name?" Harvester asked.

"How do you know that's not my name?" Jackdaw inquired.

"It is a name, but I want your name. Jackdaw is a type of bird. No one on Remnant names their children after birds." Harvester explained.

"How would you know that?" Jackdaw asked.

"Well, it helps if you know how to quickly navigate medical records." Harvester said. "But, let me introduce myself to you. I am known as Doc Harvester, the one and only."

"Yeah, and I'm headmaster Ozpin. How about your real name?" Jackdaw asked.

"After you." Harvester prompted.

Jackdaw sharply inhaled. "Touché, sir. Touché."

Harvester smiled. Jackdaw sighed.

"If you can prove the impossible, prove that you are truly the original Doc Harvester. I will tell you my name." Jackdaw spoke.

"What would it take?" Harvester asked.

"Something only the real Doc Harvester would know." Jackdaw said.

"Not sure you'd be the best judge seeing as we've never met before, but fair enough." Harvester answered. "Now, as I'm sure you know, people started calling me Doc Harvester, the Organ Bandit after a disgraced medical doctor who began dust experimentation on unwilling and still living participants."

"A quick internet search could tell you that." Jackdaw stated, unimpressed.

"A quick internet search would also tell you that the disgraced doctor's name was Julius Morbosus Harvester. However, no amount of search would be able to tell you that he was the one who actually created gravity Dust." Harvester said.

"Now you're giving me information on the wrong person." Jackdaw said.

"It wouldn't be the wrong person if Doc Harvester and Dr. Julius were the same man." Harvester said, nonchalantly.

"Julius Harvester died in prison three months after being sentenced." Jackdaw stated.

"Wrong. I faked my death in prison three months after it happened. I was in high security cell 15-42A. My ability to manipulate dust crystals allowed me to make it seem as if my heart had stopped. They declared me dead and I was thrown in a mass grave. They never count bodies in those, so it made for an easy escape. I made my way to Vale and started making a name for myself. My first harvest consisted of 2 victims. A young couple who were wandering down the wrong street. I pulled them into an alley, harvested their kidneys, blood, hearts and lungs before dumping their bodies in a nearby sewer. The first and only time I hid their bodies." Harvester explained.

Harvester raised and clenched his fist. The dust crystals he threw on the ground responded to his command, growing and restraining Jackdaw in a second.

"The next harvest was a cat faunus with a penchant for mania. She was such a find. From her I took only her blood and spleen. Her blood though, it gave the best results. RH null, rarest blood type in Remnant. My first two victims had AB+ and B- blood types. Is that specific enough for you?" Harvester spat.

A new crystal formed a chain around his neck and landed on the floor. Harvester whistled and Augustus appeared. Jackdaw was greatly surprised at the appearance of the crystal construct. The crystal bird's movements were very stilted, but the cultist didn't doubt for a second that the thing was alive. Augustus took one end of the chain in its talon and flew to the rafters of the warehouse. Jackdaw had to stand on his toes so as to not be choked out.

"A fact that only my victims and unwitting slaves know is that Doc Harvester has an aura and semblance that allows him to control Dust crystals, not just the power within. All it would take is a whistle and Augustus, a Dust crystal construct I created will fly away, taking you with him. You would never be seen again. So, I suggest you start talking. Who are you, really? What do you want? Who do you work with? And Why do you call me saint?" Harvester asked.

"I don't work for anyone, but I head the Council of the Midnight Harvest! My name is actually Janus Dullahan. I only wanted for the copycat to stop defiling the good doctor's work. But I now see that I was in the wrong. Please forgive me." Jackdaw begged.

"Maybe. Two more questions. Why do you call me saint and what is the Council of the Midnight Harvest?" Harvester interrogated.

"We call Doc Harvester saint because he is the patron saint of the council. We are an organization set up to emulate, idolize and continue the good doctor's work." Janus gasped.

Harvester whistled to Augustus and the crystal chain dropped. It landed in a heap next to Janus and began to shrink.

"Of all the things, a cult is the last thing I thought I would inspire." Harvester muttered.

"We aren't a cult." Janus wheezed.

Julius paused to think. He looked down at the sniveling man. His power was strong, but his base was weak. This council clearly idolized him, but they appeared quite ineffective. Perhaps, though, they could do some good. Remnant was sick, suffering from multiple ailments. A cancer called the Sanguine Pyre, a virus called the Grimm, and a parasite called humanity. What good doctor wouldn't try anything to save their patient?

"One more question, what do you know of The Sanguine Pyre?" Harvester asked, after a minute.

"Who?" Janus looked up, confused.

"Nothing. Then the Council has clearly failed." Harvester stated. "My work to cure Remnant of the disease known as the Sanguine Pyre has clearly not been continued. However, you could provide some use to me…"

"What?" Janus asked.

"Janus Jackdaw Dullahan, from this day forward, you will address me as Sir, Doctor, or Harvester." Harvester said. "We're going to have to do away with the robes. Set up base in a different kingdom and begin recruiting."

"What?" Janus repeated.

"Do I need to spell it out for you or are you too thick to understand even that?" Harvester asked condescendingly. "I'm taking over the council and we're moving out of Vale."

"Uh… why?" Janus asked. "Sir."

"The Sanguine Pyre is too entrenched in this kingdom and I am but one being." Harvester answered. "Fortunately, the Pyre is only in this kingdom. As soon as we set up a new power base, begin recruitment."

"How, sir?" Janus asked. "In the many years of the Council, we've never been much good at recruiting."

"You are the most ineffective cult in history." Harvester muttered.

"We aren't a cult." Janus muttered.

"You are now." Harvester responded, turning back to his victim. "As for recruitment, ever hear of brainwashing?"

"Brainwashing?" Janus asked.

"Clearly not." Harvester deadpanned. "It is essentially a form of mind control. Through emotional, physical, and mental manipulations, you can pressure them into adopting a radically different set of beliefs, such as the mission of the Council. I'm sure you can find someone with the abilities. The black market specializes in less than legal businesses like that. I'd suggest Vacuo. They tend to have more… mental semblances than the other kingdoms."

"Uh..." Janus said dumbly.

"Or you could stay here and become my next harvest after this lovely member of the Sanguine Pyre." Harvester said nonchalantly as he made an incision along his victim's sternum.

"No, no. I'll get right on that, sir." Janus quickly complied.

The cultist fled from the warehouse as Julius began harvesting blood from his victim. He performed a quick blood test on the victim. Twenty minutes later, Harvester smiled.

"Looks like we have an O-, Augustus." Harvester stated as the construct landed on the bag. "Unfortunately, after tonight, it is time to move again."

Augustus tilted its head.

"Don't give me that look." Harvester snapped. "You and I both know it's necessary."

Augustus looked at the scalpel still in the victim's neck.

"Oh, thank you for the reminder." Harvester stated as he plucked the blade from the man's jugular.

Augustus looked back at Harvester, then the door, before flying back to the rafters.

"Oh, you mean the council." Harvester rambled to himself, not even pausing his work. "They are weak and foolish, but even fools have their uses. Don't worry Augustus. Give me a few months, maybe a year, and they'll be useful."

* * *

**ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

**Data Log AFT008**

**Information – Feel free to leave comments, reviews, ideas, and constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

**Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as are your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted; hat tipped. Input command-Close**

**Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.**

**End Log S.T.K.**


	9. CH9: Ledger

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

**PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED**

**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 9: Ledger**

* * *

The week since the discovery of a cult in the caves of Patch had been trying. Agreus was tired and frustrated. Information about the rather ineffective cult had been scarce. He had learned that they called themselves the Council of the Midnight Harvest, and they worshiped homicidal, psychopathic, doctor, Doc Harvester. Beyond that, information was scarce. They may have been rather ineffective as a cult, but the same did not hold true for information and dealings.

The frustration only mounted with the news about Vermillion. Turns out, her stay with the cult had been rough. Her condition was unstable at best, and she was under constant watch at a Pyre funded hospital. Amber and the Arcs had yet to be told, but with everything else on Agreus's plate, that was rather understandable. To top it off, Summer had called to inform him that he really needed to return to the cave system.

The only thing about this whole operation that eased Agreus's frustrations a bit was the disguise. The people on the island simply believed they were renovating the theater. It provided an adequate cover. However, Blackflame's frustrations were only exasperated with the discovery of cells. The small prison near the surface was a simple set of holding cells. One of the alcoves that branched off from the main chamber led to an entire wing of barred cells.

Each cell showed evidence of human or faunus occupation. Terrible conditions, but human and faunus occupation nonetheless. Jeremiah was overseeing the search of the cells. They had managed to find an office like room. Inside this room was where Agreus sat, looking through the source of his frustration and fear.

It was a large, old leather-bound book. Inside, written in neat ornate script, was a table filled with names and numbers. It didn't take long for Agreus to realize what each number meant. It was a price. The Council of the Midnight Harvest's main money-making method was human trafficking. Names, ages, prices, nationalities and sold dates littered the table. No mention of the recipients.

Agreus recognized precious few of the names in the table, but that wasn't what had him worried. The latter half of the book contained what Agreus had dubbed the Council's high value targets. It was in these pages that there were more detailed bios of the people that Council wanted. Some of the names actually had Agreus concerned.

Headmaster Ozpin

Grimm Queen Salem

Jeremiah Briarheart

Weiss Schnee

Summer Rose

Ruby Rose

Taiyang Xiao Long

Yang Xiao Long

Vermillion Arc

Next to a few names, written in red ink were the words Sacrificial Lamb.

One of the more worrying things about the high value target list was how detailed the bios were. Exact accounts of daily routines, pictures that were no more than a week old, up to date and accurate medical histories, semblance, and aura details, even body measurements. The Midnight Harvest had certainly done their homework.

He turned a page again to look at the bio of his wife. A knock on the door to the office drew Agreus's attention. He turned to see Summer standing in the doorway.

"Sir, we've cleared out the entirety of this cave system. No useful information." Summer said.

"And yet, here we are." Agreus stated.

"Sir?" Summer asked.

"I found the gold mine." Agreus said passing the ledger to Summer.

"What is this?" Summer asked, as she opened the book to the front page.

"It's a ledger of transactions the Council has conducted. What we have here is a list of people that this cult has kidnapped and sold or are planning to kidnap and sell." Agreus answered.

"They're a human trafficking ring then." Jeremiah stated as he stepped into the room.

"Indeed. I've spent the last couple hours poring over that list. I recognize precious few names there, but the last few pages, I'm sure you'll find most interesting." Agreus said as Summer turned a page.

A tense silence filled the room as Summer kept reading through the names. Her brow furrowed as she flipped once more. Agreus noted her eyes noticeably widened as she flipped to the pages that he had indicated.

"TAIYANG!" Summer yelled, her voice ringing through the cavern.

It took all of two minutes for said huntsman to appear.

"Yes, love?" He asked as he ran into the room.

"We have a problem." Summer said as she thrust the book into his hands.

One quick explanation later, and Taiyang was seething with rage. How dare these people target his precious daughters.

"It would seem that this is a bigger issue than we had originally thought." Agreus stated.

"How many people are in the book, brother?" Jeremiah asked.

"By my count, several thousand." Agreus answered. "They've got a large operation if they have this many names. I'd reckon the only reason we caught them is they got careless and didn't know about me."

"They didn't know about you?" Summer asked.

"Vermillion is still listed as an Arc. No change to her last name." Agreus answered.

"You seem to be taking this rather well." Taiyang noted.

"Honestly, I'm just relieved Amber isn't in there. However, both you and your daughters are. Along with multiple others that I would like to see unharmed." Agreus stated.

"Will you excuse me to talk with my husband for a minute?" Summer asked.

"Of course." Agreus granted as the two ducked out of the room.

"So… what is our plan of action?" Jeremiah asked. "I for one believe we should inform Ozpin about this."

"And why do you think that?" Agreus asked, a dark look passing over his face.

"I recognize a few of the names in this list as past, present and future Beacon students." Jeremiah answered.

"Future?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. A few of the names are prospective students. They've applied to attend for the upcoming term." Jeremiah stated.

"Interesting. Then you can have the pleasure of informing Ozpin." Agreus stated.

"I presume you will be making a trip to Atlas to meet with Jacques, then?" Jeremiah inquired.

"Yes. Jackie boy will be informed. As will Amber and Orion. I will inform them myself." Agreus replied.

"Excellent." Jeremiah stated.

"One more thing. Jeremiah, when you return to the manner. Issue a kill on sight order for the Council of the Midnight Harvest." Agreus said.

"Are you sure?" Jeremiah asked, not even slightly shocked by the suggestion.

"Absolutely. These people have threatened my family. They will receive no mercy. The Pyre will assume kidnappers to be part of this cult, for the time being." Agreus ordered.

"Of course, sir." Jeremiah said. "Though… our men won't be enough."

"Come again?" Agreus asked.

"Most of the people in this list aren't Valean. I would hazard a guess that this cult is more widespread than the Pyre." Jeremiah explained. "As such we're going to need more men… expendable men."

"Expendable men?" Agreus questioned.

"Yes, people we can throw at the problem, if for nothing else to keep them distracted." Jeremiah stated.

"Like Atlas's mechanical army, you mean?" Agreus stated.

"Exactly." Jeremiah said.

"Then tell me, do you know of someone who might be able to hack into Atlesian systems to take control of their army?" Agreus queried.

"Well… no, not personally." Jeremiah admitted. "But I know the pseudonym of a master hacker and I know someone who knows him personally."

"Then spit it out." Agreus commanded.

"Well, he goes by the name The Devil's Wit, and it just so happens his cousin is our resident chemist, Adrian Ravencroft." Jeremiah stated. "At least, that's what Ravencroft claims."

"Interesting. When we return to the manor, send Adrian up to meet with me." Agreus ordered.

"Will do brother." Jeremiah responded. "Shall we be off?"

"Yes." Agreus said, grabbing the ledger.

The two exited the small room. Summer and Taiyang stopped the two.

"Lord Blackflame, Summer and I have decided that you may conscript Ruby and Yang into the Pyre." Taiyang said. "We just have one request. Would you allow us to spend more time with them, to protect them and train them for this threat?"

"That is doable. Qrow can help you as well." Agreus answered. "However, may I ask why you've decided so quickly?"

"Protection." Summer answered. "It's kind of an open secret in Vale, but the Pyre offers the best protection to those who come seeking employment."

"She's not wrong." Jeremiah muttered.

"Fair enough." Agreus spoke. "Now, Jeremiah and I must be off. We have business to conduct."

"Thank you, sir." Summer said as Agreus and Jeremiah left the prison.

They walked out of the caves in silence. Their bullhead was in the forest by Summer and Taiyang's home. The two quickly made their way to it. The journey back into Vale proper took too long in Agreus's mind. The Midnight Harvest may not have known about Agreus before, but they certainly would now.

They set down by the manor. Agreus handed Jeremiah the ledger and returned to his main office. He greeted his secretary and began drafting the kill on sight order against the cult and kidnappers.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Five seconds later a tall lanky man wearing a long white lab coat entered the room. Adrian Ravencroft sat down across from Agreus.

"Lord Briarheart said you wished to speak with me, Lord Blackflame." Adrian stated.

"Indeed. I've been told you know someone who can help the Pyre." Agreus stated.

"Possibly." Adrian replied.

"I've been told of a person who goes by the name The Devil's Wit." Agreus stated.

"I don't think I've heard of him." Adrian said, sweat forming on his brow.

"Well, that's a shame. I would hate for my source to be wrong, or to find out you're lying to me." Agreus said. "After all, my source informed me that The Devil's Wit is not only a master hacker, but also your cousin."

"Sir, I-" Adrian began.

"According to you." Agreus interjected.

"You're looking for my cousin, Lagrange." Adrian said, defeated. "I hoped you wouldn't find any of my family."

"Too late for that, I'm afraid." Agreus said. "Now, I would like for you to have him meet me. Tomorrow at the airfields, seven am, by the latest."

"If I may, you're not going to kill him, are you?" Adrian asked.

"Unless he's broken Pyre laws, no." Agreus answered. "I just need his hacking capabilities."

"Is this an official order… or what?" Adrian asked.

"Yes, Mr. Ravencroft, this is an order from the highest level of the Pyre." Agreus said. "Whether you like it or not."

"I can have him here by tomorrow." Adrian conceded.

"Excellent. Now, I also wish to know about the progress on the poison used in the last round of Harvester killings." Agreus continued.

"Well, as I'm sure Lord Briarheart imparted, you know that the poison used isn't in any database. Through the help of a friend of mine, we were able to find its source." Adrian said. "Eris. A woman whose semblance allows her to create poisons and venoms, including one that is unique to her, that our fourth victim was injected with."

"Interesting." Agreus muttered. "That will be all, Mr. Ravencroft. Keep up the work. You are dismissed."

"By your leave, Lord Blackflame." Adrian bowed as he left.

…/…

Jeremiah hated Ozpin's office. It was uncomfortably loud, spacious, and annoying. Jeremiah much preferred the quiet calm that was his brother's office, but you can't get everything you want. And Agreus's petty grievance with Ozpin barred the head of the Pyre from peaceably meeting with the Headmaster of Beacon.

And the elevator. Jeremiah hated the elevator. He much preferred stairs where he could go at his own pace. But of course, the infernal Headmaster was officed at the top of the tallest tower with no stairs. Then again, with how high up Oz's office was, it was nice to not have to spend the energy to walk that high.

A small ding signified the office was open. Jeremiah strode through, Midnight Harvest ledger in hand.

"Jeremiah Briarheart, a pleasure." Ozpin greeted.

"Headmaster." Jeremiah curtly replied.

"To what do I owe a visit from such an auspicious member of Valean society?" Ozpin asked, barely hiding his disdain for Briarheart and his brother.

"There is no need to stand on pointless ceremony, Headmaster. It is just you and I right now. Agreus shan't be joining us. And despite my aged body, I can still move with the best of them." Jeremiah cut in.

"Fair enough. Why are you here?" Ozpin asked.

"Because of this." Jeremiah answered setting the ledger on Ozpin's desk.

"A book?" Ozpin asked.

"A ledger. The Pyre has recently discovered the existence of a cult that had a base in Patch. They dabble in a manner of despicable activities, primarily human trafficking." Jeremiah said. "I thought it prudent, and Agreus reluctantly agreed, to inform you."

"And why would the leader of a terrorist organization inform me of anything?" Ozpin spat.

"The Pyre is not a terrorist organization." Jeremiah stated, unamused.

"Sorry, my bad." Ozpin replied sarcastically "Why would a tyrant inform me of anything?"

"Petty insults aside," Jeremiah began. "You are in that book. Along with several past, present, and future Beacon students. Agreus doesn't like you, and you don't like him, but even he can recognize your skill and ability to protect your own. This ledger details the selling and possible acquisition of many past, present and prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes at Jeremiah. "So, the great Sanguine Pyre is asking for help?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Jeremiah asked.

"I get that the Pyre is a group that is out of control. You proclaim peace through tyranny. You execute people in the streets. You kill those who disagree. And only when it is advantageous to you do you ever deign to reveal information to me." Ozpin snarked.

"WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS TWO HOURS AGO!" Jeremiah thundered. "WE FOUND VERMILLION ARC ALIVE AND IN THE HANDS OF THESE PEOPLE! YOU ARE ONE OF THEIR HIGH VALUE TARGETS!"

Ozpin leaned back. He had never heard Jeremiah or Agreus this furious.

"But since the 'oh so great' Ozpin doesn't like the Sanguine Pyre since we don't agree with your every idea, then you can write this off as little more than a hiccup!" Jeremiah ranted. "WAKE UP! This isn't a fantasy. We are dealing with a threat that is arguably worse than the Grimm! Set your petty grievance aside and work with us. We are trying to root out a massive human trafficking operation turned cult."

"Calm down, no need to get testy." Ozpin interjected.

"No need to get testy?" Jeremiah asked, incredulous. "Look around you, Ozpin. The Pyre is Vale now, and we are trying to work with you. YOU are the one who's pushing against the flow here. Why can't you just help us?"

Ozpin said nothing. Jeremiah sighed and picked up the ledger. He turned and called the elevator.

"I thought you would see reason, but I guess it is too much to ask of a stubborn old fool. If you won't help us, then Pyre will take matters out of your hands. A week before the next term starts, there will be an envoy from the Pyre. They are to be Beacon's new security." Jeremiah said as he stepped on the elevator.

"I can see why Agreus holds such disdain for that man." Jeremiah muttered to himself as the elevator began its descent. A ding signified the opening of the door. Jeremiah stepped out and began his trek to the manor.

His scroll vibrating in his pocket pulled his thoughts away from the recalcitrant Headmaster. Jeremiah continued his walk as he took the call.

"Hello." Jeremiah greeted. "Who is it?"

"Lord Briarheart, I have news!" The boisterous voice of Darius Alister Trent exclaimed.

"Assassin Trent?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes, though it is Councilman Trent now." Darius announced.

"You succeeded." Jeremiah stated.

"Of course, sir. The election was yesterday. I tried to call, but Ms. Noire said no one was in. So, I called now." Darius explained.

"Well, congratulations." Jeremiah said. "Were you able to get on the festival committee?"

"Well… no." Trent admitted. "And it's actually called the International Relations Council."

"Will you be able to get onto that council?" Jeremiah queried.

"In due time, possibly. The selection process for that council is a voting process done between the members of the council. And politicians are notoriously obstinate when it comes to persuading them to vote for their opponents." Trent explained. "Still, I should be able to get on the council soon."

"How soon?" Jeremiah asked.

"Well, best case scenario, I can get inducted soon enough to get the forty-eighth Vytal festival in Vale." Darius answered. "Though, the odds don't favor it. I'd place my bets on getting the forty-ninth Vytal festival. That won't be a problem."

"That will do." Jeremiah sighed, it wasn't what he wanted, but it was what he would get. "I'll speak with Agreus. He may not like having to hold off expansion plans for another two years, but if you can guarantee Vale gets to host the Vytal festival, then we'll allow it."

"Excellent sir, you won't be disappointed." Darius announced.

"I know. Now, I do have a new order for you." Jeremiah said. "Straight from my brother."

"Lord Blackflame has a new mission! Oh, do go on, I must hear this." Darius trilled.

"You are to draft a new law, Darius." Jeremiah began.

"Respectfully, sir, it's Councilman Trent." Darius interjected.

"Kidnappers and abductors are to be killed on sight." Jeremiah stated.

"Oh… harsh." Darius said in a subdued silence. "Any reason why?"

"Agreus will have my hide for this." Jeremiah muttered. "Alright, Darius, this information is confidential. Currently Classified to all but the highest in the Pyre, and those of our choosing by our discretion."

"That serious? Then why are you telling me?" Trent asked. "I'm a politician now."

"I'm telling you because I trust you more than most of the Pyre." Jeremiah stated.

"Really? No offense, but may I ask why you trust me?" Trent inquired.

"My reasons are my own. But to answer your original inquiry, the Sanguine Pyre has discovered the existence of large-scale human trafficking operation." Jeremiah stated. "One of the victims was Lady Blackflame, but the ledger we found contains information on a few thousand victims. Past, present, and future. I'd hazard that this new law is simultaneously cathartic revenge from my brother and a way to root out our new foe. For the time being, abductors are to be assumed as part of the Council of the Midnight Harvest."

"Huh… are they only in Vale?" Darius asked.

"No. Most of the names were from Mistral. I'd wager that's where they started." Jeremiah said.

"Interesting." Darius stated.

"I did find a name on this list that you will find familiar." Jeremiah spoke.

"My nightmare of a mother, I hope?" Darius questioned.

"No." Jeremiah stated. "The name is Jordan Trent."

"Ah, so they are what happened to dear old dad." Darius said, resignedly.

"So, it would seem." Jeremiah responded. "One more thing."

"Shoot." Darius curtly replied.

"Would you look into how they could get detailed personal information?" Jeremiah requested.

"I'd have to check in the public records office… off the books, of course, but sure. Shouldn't be a problem." Darius nonchalantly replied.

"Is there someone that runs that department?" Jeremiah inquired.

"The public records office is run by three people." Darius answered.

"I want you to look into them." Jeremiah commanded.

"Do you suspect them of conspiring against the Pyre?" Darius asked.

"Yes." Jeremiah replied. "The cult we discovered had a ledger. A ledger that included my name among many others."

"And the problem?" Darius asked.

"Along with names, the ledger included rather detailed bios of possible victims." Jeremiah explained.

"I'll look into it." Darius said.

"And Darius, keep it discrete." Jeremiah said.

"Of course, sir." Darius replied.

"Excellent." Jeremiah responded. "Thank you, Councilman Trent."

"Of course, Lord Briarheart." Trent answered before hanging up.

Lord Jeremiah Briarheart continued on his way back to Blackflame Manor.

* * *

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**Data Log AFT009**

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	10. CH10: Atlas

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**RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**

**Chapter 10: Atlas**

* * *

Agreus checked his watch once more. The time was five past seven, and Lagrange was late. The Devil's Wit had better have a good reason for being late. Agreus Blackflame was not the most patient of individuals, especially when he had prior engagements to attend. The bullhead was scheduled to leave in ten minutes.

The leader of the Pyre glanced around. The Pyre airfield was quite empty this time of the morning. Save for the conspicuous figure that was hurrying towards him. Agreus could tell it was a man. The man wore a pair of camouflage cargo pants, a black shirt with an old controller design on it and a red zip up hoodie. The man was clearly not the paragon of professionalism. As he got closer, Agreus could see only his right arm was in a sleeve of the hoodie and he had no right shoe. The left shoe he wore was a plain black sneaker with no laces. He was relatively short yet quite thin. His running gait was quite off. He heavily favored his left foot. Somewhat understandable as he had no right shoe.

When the man managed to reach Agreus, he bent low to breath heavily. He raised a hand in signal for one moment. When he straightened, Agreus noted that his eyes were a deep crimson. The man smiled and Agreus noted the sharpened canines the man bore. The rest of his teeth looked filed down a bit. He also wore the oddest piece of eye wear Agreus had probably ever seen. The spectacles the man wore had the standard clear glass lenses, but attached to them, at the hinge of the earpiece were two more sets of lenses. One set of the extra lenses looked quite clear; the other were tinted.

"Sorry, I'm late." The man apologized. "You would not believe how hard it was for me to get here."

"Are you the hacker, colloquially known as the Devil's Wit?" Agreus asked.

"Yessir, Lagrange Descartes Devowitz, at your service." The man introduced himself with an exaggerated bow. "My cousin informed me his boss wanted to meet me. Am I to assume you, are he?"

"Yes." Agreus stated. "And I expect a good reason for your lateness."

"Well, I used to be right foot dominant, made running a whole lot easier." Lagrange said with an easy-going smile.

"Used to be?" Agreus queried.

"Kind of hard to be right foot dominant when you got no right foot." Lagrange responded, raising his right pant leg.

"That explains the lack of a shoe." Agreus muttered.

The man before him had no right leg from the knee down. Only a stub with a wooden peg leg. It was no fancy prosthetic, if anything, it looked less than satisfactory.

"No prosthetic." Agreus stated.

"Nope." Lagrange said, misinterpreting the statement as a question. "Lost my leg when I was really little. Grimm attack. Then sold the fancy prosthetic to pay for a new computer. Now I use an old table leg from my sister's table."

"That's… nice… I suppose." Agreus stated.

"Believe it or not, it took a whole month for her to realize her table had one less leg. he's a very observant person." Lagrange stated sarcastically.

"Ok then." Agreus said, glancing at his watch. "What about the glasses?"

"Sunglasses and light refractors. Believe it or not, sitting in front of a computer all day is just murder on your eyes." Lagrange stated.

It was ten after. Their flight left in five minutes.

"Well, Mr. Devowitz, I have a rather lucrative business proposition for you, and our flight leaves in five minutes, so how about we continue this discussion on the way. Up in the air, there will be no prying ears to overhear." Agreus said.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan. I figured you'd want to talk business; had no idea it would bring in the big bucks though." Devowitz responded with a smile.

"My name isn't Stan." Agreus replied.

"You never gave me a name, so I'm going to call you whatever Stan I see fit to." Devowitz said with a smile.

Agreus rolled his eyes before ascending into the bullhead. He barely heard the mutter from behind as Lagrange followed.

"Exciting. A big wig CEO needs a hacker… but why?" Devowitz muttered to himself.

Agreus sat down with Devowitz taking the seat across from him. Five minutes later, the pilot began the takeoff procedure. Once they were safely in the air, Agreus spoke up.

"Now, Mr. Devowitz. I've been told from a reliable source that you're one of the best hackers on Remnant. Is this true? Agreus asked.

"Possibly, depends on the source. Was it my cousin? Adrian does like to play up my abilities more than most." Devowitz rambled.

"That doesn't answer the question. Are you an expert hacker?" Agreus tried again.

"Absopositivolutely." Devowitz responded with a snap. "I am one of the best, if not THE BEST, hacker on this planet."

"Do you have evidence to support your claim? Or is it just the self-styled prideful boasts of a fool with delusions of grandeur?" Agreus questioned.

"I can back them up, Staniel Man. But first, why don't you tell me what a distribution company, a company that doesn't exist by the way, want with a hacker of my skill?" Lagrange returned. "Are we talking corporate espionage? Record manipulation? Porn?"

"Nothing quite so mundane or… explicit, I'm afraid. My business is not yours unless you accept the job. But I won't offer the job unless you can prove that you are as good as you say you are." Agreus stated.

"Listen here Stan the man, if you want information on my past hacks… well, the more impressive ones that are of a more illicit nature anyway, then I need some assurance that I won't face any serious repercussions, from you, my targets or law enforcement." Devowitz replied. "Trust is a two-way street Stanley, and I won't be trusting you with my information unless I have something to fall back on."

"How about a trade then. Information for information." Agreus stated.

Devowitz gave a questioning look at Lord Blackflame.

"You give me incriminating information and I respond in kind? I let you in on some of my previous work? A mutually assured destruction sort of deal?" The hacker asked for clarification.

"Indeed." Agreus stated.

"Shoot, I'll drink to that. You first." Lagrange stated.

"Sneaky." Agreus stated. "Very well, let me introduce myself. My name is Lord Agreus Blackflame."

"Come now Stanford, you got to give me more than that." Devowitz protested.

"There were no stipulations on what information I had to give." Agreus stated. "And my name is Agreus Blackflame."

"Eh, still gonna call you Stan." Devowitz shrugged, before pausing as realization dawned. "Blackflame?"

Agreus nodded with a smirk.

"That's not possible. The Blackflame's died out like… a hundred years ago with the sacking of Blackflame Manor and the dissolution of the Sanguine Pyre." Lagrange stated. "The manor remained destroyed for a few years until the Briarheart family began paying for its restoration and upkeep. How can you be a Blackflame?"

"Now, now, Mr. Devowitz. You owe me some information first." Agreus said.

"Fine." Devowitz sighed in frustration. "Since I began earning a living off my skill five years ago, I have passed seventy-two forged documents and transcripts of prospective huntsmen and huntresses through the training academies of Remnant. Of particular note, ten have been through Beacon, and fifteen through Atlas. The headmasters failed to call out the forgeries."

"That's not technically illegal." Agreus stated.

"But it does promise serious repercussions from the academies." Devowitz stated.

"Fair enough. To answer your earlier question about the Blackflames. It was the Blackflame family who ordered the arson that torched the manor. It was all orchestrated and carried out by the Blackflame family and thugs hired by them." Agreus explained. "Surely, you have something more impressive than forgeries for the academies."

"I transferred two million lien from two thousand different accounts into a client's account, with no data trail in the Bank of Atlas systems." Devowitz said. "Is that satisfactory enough Stanfred?"

"Interesting. But not enough for this job, yet. I run one of the most powerful organizations in Vale." Agreus replied. "We operate everything, and your cousin works for us."

"Not much." Devowitz muttered. "Fine, if that's how you're going to play. Seven years ago, I commenced with my most difficult hack ever. It is one of only two that I've failed and that is because of just how complicated the system was. I was able to get seven layers deep into the system before I was booted. But the code, it seemed to be rewriting itself as I progressed. All I was able to get was some sort of list filled with names of the council of Vale at the time. I have no clue what it was, but you do, don't you Stanghis Kahn?"

Agreus's eyes widened as Devowitz told of the hack. When he finished

"So, it was you then?" Agreus muttered. "You are perfect for this job."

"Me what?" Devowitz said.

"Mr. Devowitz, you are just the man I'm looking for. You see that server was a server that my organization controls. We had a programmer with a semblance for creating supposedly unhackable codes help us. Part of the deal was that he could set the server to self-destruct if anyone got too deep. That list is the most inconsequential piece of information we own, and as such, it was our trigger." Agreus explained.

"What is your organization, Stanson?" Devowitz asked.

"Lagrange Descartes Devowitz, I am Lord Agreus Blackflame, the head of the Sanguine Pyre." Agreus said. "And I am willing to pay you handsomely for your help taking control of Atlas's robotic forces."

"So that's why you need a hacker." Devowitz muttered, stroking his poorly shaved chin. "WAIT! The Sanguine Pyre is still active? I thought you were all destroyed. What aren't you telling me Stanold?"

"The Pyre went underground at the same time as the Blackflame family. We made it look like a coup and have continued working from behind the scenes, rather than the front stage." Agreus answered. "Now, will you accept the job?"

"How much will you pay?" Devowitz asked.

"How much?" Agreus repeated.

Ten million lien. All upfront." Devowitz said.

"How about one million. All when the job is completed." Agreus countered. "Can't have you taking the money and not working."

"I'll do a mil, but 500k upfront." Devowitz responded.

"100k upfront." Agreus countered again.

Devowitz narrowed his eyes. "250."

"200, take it or leave it." Agreus said.

"Deal Standon." Devowitz said with a smile. "So… what's the job?"

"The Sanguine Pyre wants control of the Atlesian Army." Agreus said.

Devowitz gave Agreus a blank look. "Come again?"

"I said that we want you to take control of the Atlesian Army." Agreus repeated.

"Ok, Stanvers, we're speaking the same language, but I don't think I'm understanding what you want. It sounds like you want me to hack into the systems of General Ironwood to transfer control of the entire Atlesian Android Army." Devowitz clarified.

"That is exactly what you were hired for." Agreus replied.

"You guys don't do anything by half measures, do ya Stanriel?" Lagrange responded with a smirk.

"No, we don't. Is there anywhere in particular you need to be dropped off?" Agreus inquired.

"The closer to the CCT you can get me, the better, Standalf." Devowitz answered.

"Pilot, land us at the closest airfield to the CCT tower." Agreus commanded.

A muffled "Yes Sir" was heard.

"So, why do you need to go to the CCT?" Agreus asked.

"Well, Stan Solo, the CCT towers are the easiest way to gain access to any of the kingdom's systems. Granted, they are still brutal protections, but they more than serve their purpose." Devowitz answered.

"Interesting." Agreus said as the bullhead descended.

The city of Atlas was indeed a technological marvel on Remnant. Bright lights and shiny buildings. The city held little in common with Vale. The only thing similar was the CCT tower itself. The massive white circular tower rose from a large courtyard. Devowitz gave Agreus a two fingered salute before sauntering off towards the tall white structure.

Agreus rolled his eyes as the bullhead rose into the sky. The flight to the SDC was quite short as compared to the flight from Vale to Atlas. With permission from the company's private airfield control tower, The Pyre ship landed.

Agreus strode through the company's main building with purpose. His goal? The office of SDC president, Jacques Schnee. Agreus waited outside the room while the SDC President's secretary went and got the man.

The wait was naught but five minutes. Jacques's secretary waved him into the president's office. Agreus entered the room, gave a quick glance around and sat across from President Schnee. The office was rather spartan. The only decorations on the walls were portraits of previous SDC presidents.

Jacques Schnee was a rather well-off individual. Marrying from poverty into one of the richest families on Remnant. He wore a crisp white suit. His hair was slicked back a dyed white. Agreus could see the dark black hair at his roots. The man had a luxurious white mustache, also dyed white. The only remarkable things about Jacques getup were a titanium wedding band and a familiar gold ring with a blood diamond set in the center.

"Lord Blackflame, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Jacques greeted.

"Please, Jacques, call me Agreus." Agreus responded.

"Very well, Agreus, to what do I owe the pleasure? The White Fang giving you trouble?" Jacques queried.

"If only. The Pyre can easily deal with those morons. How about you? How's the SDC's dealings with the Fang?"

"Rough." Jacques replied, exasperated. "They've been stepping up attacks on SDC shipments and mines. There's even been rumors amongst the workers that the Fang are planning on attacking the mines and 'liberating' the Faunus who work there. I wish I knew why."

"It's because of your Wife's great grandfather. He started the SDC on Faunus slavery. A tradition his son continued, and his grandson ended. You've merely hired the Faunus, mostly for the mines." Agreus explained. "The White Fang are a bunch of, quote unquote, freedom fighters. At least that is their claim. They seem to be operating under the idiotic belief that since the SDC had slaves in the past, they must be punished for it now."

"The problem is that this only hurts the Faunus." Jacques said. "Sure, I mostly hire them for the hard, physical labor, like the mines, but they are paid a living wage at worst."

"Indeed, Vale doesn't have it as bad, especially since the Pyre has promised death on the Fang should they attack. Still, they are led by extremists and ideologues. Poor choices for leadership." Agreus stated.

"You've promised them death?" Jacques queried.

"Indeed, should the White Fang openly attack Vale, then the Sanguine Pyre, and by extension, Vale itself shall see the attack as an open declaration of war. As such, we shall respond in kind. They will surrender or die." Agreus explained.

"Just the Vale branch?" Jacques inquired.

"No, the Fang as a whole. We have no way of knowing if the Vale branch are operating of their own accord or if the orders come from the upper echelons of the White Fang. If the Vale branch of the White Fang openly attacks Vale, and we can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was the White Fang, then we will destroy them with extreme prejudice."

"Harsh." Jacques stated.

"Harsh, but a definite necessity. If they will not listen to reason, then they will face death." Agreus continued.

"What about our people in the Fang?" Jacques asked.

"They, and any who surrender, will be arrested and tried for their crimes. However, our… agents in the Fang will be released into our custody, one way or the other." Agreus answered.

"Fair enough. Should V- The Sanguine Pyre declare war on the White Fang, the SDC shall support your endeavors." Jacques said.

"Thank you." Agreus responded.

"Now, I assume that you aren't here for a friendly chat about the White Fang. May I know the reason for your visit?" Jacques said.

"Yes. We discovered a very concerning cult this past week." Agreus said.

"And that concerns the SDC, why?" Jacques asked.

"Because, for longer than they've been a cult, they've been a human trafficking ring. I brought this to you because you deserve to know. We found a ledger. A ledger that includes your daughter, Weiss." Agreus said as he pulled up an image on his scroll.

Jacques looked at the image. The clear image of the page detailing Weiss's information. The information was detailed, a little out of date, but far too detailed for Jacques' liking. The picture of Weiss was from after one of her concerts. He was even in the picture, escorting her to the limo. He remembered that day quite clearly. One particular paparazzi was rather insistent on getting a picture of Weiss before the show. He was thrown out before the show could even begin. However, he had no clue who could have taken the picture from the page in the ledger.

"They call themselves the Council of the Midnight Harvest." Agreus explained. "We have no idea where they are operating from, but they have many, many names in their ledger. Their operation spans the entire planet. I figured you would be most interested in this info."

"Indeed… thank you, my friend." Jacques said. "This is most concerning. Mayhaps the Pyre could help?"

"We could… but there would have to be some compensation for us." Agreus said.

"Is our support in a war against the White Fang not enough?" Jacques asked.

"Jacques, you know how this works. When she comes of age, allow us to recruit her into the Pyre. If she says no, we'll leave her alone. If yes, she will be employed by us. Either way, agree to this and we will provide protection for your younger daughter."

"That is… reasonable." Jacques acquiesced. "When she comes of age, you can recruit her into the Pyre."

"Thank you, my friend." Agreus said. "Now, I must be off. I have a meeting in Vale tomorrow morning. I will contact you when your daughter's protection detail is to arrive."

"Thank you, Agreus." Jacques said as Agreus turned to leave.

Before opening the door, Agreus turned his head and spoke once more. "One more thing, Jacques, you are one of two contacts the Pyre has in Atlas. When we move to take the kingdom, we expect your support."

"Of course." Jacques quickly agreed. "Lord Blackflame.

…/…

"What in the name of all that is good and holy is this!?" Cinder yelled as she found herself in the center of a rather large operation.

Robed men and women were bustling around the repurposed farm, as a figure garbed in a familiar mask and robe stood on a raised platform, overseeing the operation.

"Ah, Cinder, how good of you to join us!" Doc Harvester shouted over the din of working men and women.

"Harvester, what is this?" Cinder repeated as she climbed up the tower Harvester was on.

"This is a cult." Harvester said bluntly. "And I am their object of worship."

"What?" Mercury asked.

"This is in direct violation of our agreement." Cinder stated.

"Our deal was not mutually exclusive, Cinder my dear." The doctor said, draping an arm around Cinder's shoulder. "I agreed to help you, should you need it. You have not actually called in my help, so I continued about my own endeavors."

"What are your endeavors?" Emerald asked.

Even with the mask on, they could feel the psychopath smile. He pulled Cinder closer, much to her disgust, and gestured to the camp below.

"These are my endeavors. Remnant is sick with a series of serious debilitating diseases. We are working to cure them!" Harvester said in an ever-jubilant voice.

"How will this cure Remnant?" Emerald asked.

"We will purge this planet of its sickness." Harvester answered, clenching his fist. "However, we are a bit shorthanded."

"How so?" Mercury asked.

"Well, we need more people than we have." Harvester began. "This cult was a human trafficking ring for some time-"

"Until he showed us the light!" One of the cultists yelled up to them.

"Yes, yes. I showed them the light." Harvester said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Anyway, when that venture ended, many of our ranks jumped ship. As such, we are shorthanded for a purge of this planet. You would be most valuable amongst our ranks."

"Lady Salem wouldn't allow it." Cinder stated.

"Bah, who cares what that witch thinks." Doc Harvester scoffed. "She could crap gold for all I care. What has she promised you in her new world? Never mind, I don't care. However, you would be the perfect candidate for us. We seriously lack a powerhouse, and you three would certainly fit the bill."

"A powerhouse?" Cinder asked.

"Yes, a heavy hitter. I can promise you power. We have learned of the existence and possible locations of the Fall Maiden. Join us, and we will help you obtain her power. All we require from you is a sharing of information." Harvester said.

"That is already my job from Lady Salem." Cinder said.

"Really? How fortuitous. That would allow you to work as a double agent. Give us insider information to her group." The Doc said with a wild gesture.

"The answer is no." Cinder said.

Harvester turned to her, his voice adopting a sinister undertone. "It would be unwise to refuse my offer, Cinder Fall."

"And why do you say that?" Cinder asked.

"Because of all the benefits we can offer. With Salem, you get what? The Maiden's power and a place of minor leadership in her ranks? Hah! Don't make me laugh thinking that you want that. With us, you would get the power, and true leadership. A dark queen of fire. A name feared amongst man and beast for ages to come."

Cinder adopted a thoughtful look as Harvester continued.

"Besides, you should count yourselves lucky. I am not in the habit of elaborating on or repeating offers. You, Cinder Fall, would be the second most important person under _my_ employ. Your authority would only be eclipsed by Janus or me." Harvester said. "I would highly recommend you rethink your answer. Of course…"

"If the answer is still no?" Cinder said.

"Well, then you assume I'm giving you a choice." Harvester continued.

"What?" Cinder asked.

A loud snap rang through the air. Harvester's crystal hand was raised, his fingers having just snapped. They clenched and Cinder found her airway constricted. A sharp red crystal was digging into her neck and slowly constricting. Harvest unclenched his fist a tiny bit.

"If you insist on refusing my kind offer, then I tie up loose ends and extract myself from an unwanted contract." Harvester said, unseen smile twisting into a savage smirk.

Cinder was starting to gasp for air as she reached for the constrictive crystal.

"Now, will you join the Council of the Midnight Harvest, or shall I remove your pretty little head from your body?" Harvester whispered to her.

"We'll… join…" Cinder managed to choke out.

"Excellent!" Harvester exclaimed.

Cinder breathed a deep, heavy sigh of relief when she found she could breathe normally again. She slowly stood up, with help from Emerald, to face Harvester.

"So, what… is the… disease plaguing… Remnant?" Cinder gasped between labored breaths.

"We have a few to focus on." Harvest said. "The Grimm and their queen is an obvious one. The hidden one being the Sanguine Pyre. Unfortunately, due to the Pyre, we are far too exposed. We will be laying low for a while. This farm serves us for that purpose. JANUS!"

"Yes sir?" Janus asked as he appeared under the tower.

"Escort these three into the barn and induct them into the council." Harvester commanded.

"Right away St. Harvester." Janus said as he beckoned for Mercury, Emerald and Cinder to follow him.

"And Janus, please ensure further compliance. The lady is rather recalcitrant." Harvester continued.

"As you wish, St. Harvester." Janus responded as he led the trio away from the tower.

"And humanity." Harvester said to no one in particular. "We've got to cure Remnant of humanity."

* * *

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